Over the weekend, a video emerged online of a woman giving birth at the reception of Shalom Community Hospital in Athi River as nurses who were on break watched.
In a surprise twist, the woman has now come out to defend the nurses captured in the clip that caused outrage online and action from the county government.
In an interview with Citizen Digital, the woman called for the release of the hospital staff arrested arguing that there was really no time to react as the baby came out the moment she walked into the hospital.
"Haikukua vile mliskia huko nje. Ilikuwa dakika ya mwisho na hakuna kuzuia sasa nlifika hivi na hakukua otherwise. Vile nilifika hivi kwa hospitali, mtoto akatoka. So hakuna mwenye alinibeba vibaya hakuna mwenye alikua amelegea. Sasa mimi nasema mwenye ameshikwa aachiliwe. Hakuna mwenye ako na makosa.
(The case is different from what has been reported. I arrived at the hospital at the last minute while in labour. There was nothing much that could be done. There was no negligence at all. I would like those who have been arrested to be released. None of them did anything wrong)," she was quoted by the publication.
She further declared that the man who recorded the video was the one in the wrong, calling for his arrest.
"Kwanza mwenye alichukua hiyo video ndio anafaa kushtakiwa nilikua nadhani ni daktari. Amenikosea sana.
(The one who recorded the video is the one who should face legal action. I even thought he was a doctor. He has really offended me),” she added.
Already, two nurses at the facility, Edna Nyarangi and John Ndege, the hospital administrator, Thomas Ndolo as well as Samuel Ongoya and Dr Mutembei Itunga have been reprimanded following the shocking incident.
On Monday, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua affirmed that a team of investigators had been deployed and successfully carried out an inspection at the hospital leading to the arrest of the staff.
"Today, a high delegation investigative team made up of both National and County Government officials, on my invitation, visited the private run Shalom Hospital in Athi River," the Governor tweeted.