Patients in Kirinyaga County are facing one of the most difficult health battles as the main referral facility, Kerugoya General Hospital, struggles to provide dialysis services.
Kidney patients who depended on the hospital for life-saving treatment have been left stranded after most of the dialysis machines broke down.
The hospital had been operating with eight machines, but six of them stopped functioning in the past five months, leaving only two in use. The remaining machines cannot keep up with the number of patients, forcing many to either reduce their sessions or turn to private hospitals where the costs are far beyond their means.
The impact of this shortage is being felt most by vulnerable patients who require regular dialysis to survive. For 76-year-old Beatrice Mureithi, the crisis has been nothing short of devastating.
She explained that she had to seek services at a private hospital, Mount Kenya, after being told the machines at Kerugoya were no longer working.
Even then, she said the dialysis sessions have been cut short because of the demand. What should normally be a four-hour session is now reduced to two or three hours, and she admitted it has not improved her health.
Her situation reflects the pain of many others who now face uncertainty about their next treatment.
Another patient, Amos Wanjau, shared his frustrations about incomplete dialysis. He explained that without the recommended treatment, his body has swollen and his legs are filled with wounds due to fluids not being properly drained. Like others, he was left with only two hours of dialysis per session, far less than what doctors prescribe.
The suffering he described shows the physical damage caused by the failing health system in the county.
For families, the crisis is equally distressing. Some patients have been forced to sell their belongings to afford costly sessions in private hospitals. Others are left helpless, hoping that services at Kerugoya will be restored.
Relatives like Lucy Wairimu, who is Mureithi’s daughter, pleaded for immediate intervention, urging authorities to repair the broken machines and provide more equipment because lives are at risk. Her call highlights the desperation of many families now carrying heavy financial and emotional burdens.
The situation has also attracted concern from political leaders. The Kirinyaga Senator questioned why no contingency plans were in place to replace the faulty machines, pointing out that those relying on dialysis are among the most vulnerable. The senator’s statement echoed the frustration of many residents who feel abandoned by the healthcare system.
Governor Anne Waiguru, in response, placed the responsibility on the national government under the National Equipment Support Programme, which is in charge of procuring dialysis machines. She promised that new equipment would be delivered to Kerugoya General Hospital by Wednesday.
For patients like Beatrice and Wanjau, that assurance remains their only hope, but with lives hanging in the balance, the promise will only mean something if it is kept without further delays.
The unfolding crisis in Kirinyaga is not just about broken machines but about human lives caught in uncertainty. Each day without proper dialysis puts patients at risk of severe complications or even death. It is a reminder of how fragile public healthcare becomes when critical services fail and how urgent action is needed to protect those who cannot survive without them.
