Calm returns after new team takes over St Mary’s hospital

Calm is slowly returning to the troubled St Mary’s Mission hospital in Gilgil, Nakuru County after a dramatic takeover by the new management on Friday.

The Assumption Sisters of Nairobi took over the management of the hospital under heavy security provided by the police.

The nuns, accompanied by hundreds of police officers, stormed the hospital and seized it from American priest William Charles Fryda.

Nakuru County Police Commander Hassan Barua led the more than 100 officers providing security to the nuns as they installed their new management.

A check by the Nation on Sunday revealed that calm was slowly returning to the hospital, with a few patients in the wards.

However, Mr Maurice Audi, the manager at St Mary’s Mission hospital in Lang’ata, Nairobi, who oversaw the transition, told the Nation that some workers, among them nurses, doctors  and support staff, had left in protest at the new management.

REPLACEMENTS

“On Saturday morning, we could not find some staff from various departments, who had not reported to work. We had to find temporary replacements to restore activities in the hospital,” said Mr Audi.

He revealed that some hospital property had been stolen by Friday and that the new management was preparing an inventory to establish which equipment was missing.

According to Mr Audi, operations had resumed at the hospital.

The takeover in Nakuru happened barely two days after the Environment and Lands Court in Nakuru allowed the Catholic nuns to forcibly eject the previous management under Dr Fryda.

On Wednesday, Justice Sila Munyao affirmed the orders issued on November 23, granting the nuns permission to forcibly enter the hospital.

Unlike the violent takeover witnessed at the Lang’ata branch where the nuns evicted everyone from the hospital, the process at Elementaita, on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on Friday morning, was peaceful.

Mr Joachim Githinji will be in charge of the Elementaita hospital.

CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT

“The staff need to understand that change in management is normal and as long as they agree to work with the  new team, their job will be secured,” said Mr Githinji.

Briefing the media, Mr Barua said the whole transition was conducted smoothly and peacefully, in line with the court orders.

He confirmed that police had accompanied the nuns at around 7am to effect the court orders.

“We arrived here in the morning to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of the hospital management. We are happy that the process was effectively done without any form of violence,” said Mr Barua.

On Friday, operations were grounded for at least three hours as the hospital remained out of bounds for civilians.

More than 10 Land Cruisers full of armed officers were parked outside the hospital.

Patients seeking services were stranded for hours before they were allowed in.