Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has sounded the alarm over the ongoing doctors’ strike that has crippled health services in the county, warning that the inaction by Governor Kimani Wamatangi could derail Thika’s elevation to city status.
Speaking through a press statement released on Wednesday, Senator Karungo accused Governor Kimani Wamatangi of “administrative failure” and “deliberate neglect” of the county’s health sector, saying the crisis has reached dangerous levels with hospitals unable to offer basic services.
“Today marks 70 days of medical crisis in Kiambu County – 70 days of preventable suffering, 70 days of administrative failure, and 70 days of a Governor who has abdicated his duty to the people of Kiambu,” the Senator stated.
Governor Wamatangi is expected to appear before the Senate on Thursday, August 7, to push for the elevation of Thika Municipality to city status. Senator Karungo, while supporting the idea “in principle,” insists that the governor must first address the health crisis.
“The County Government of Kiambu risks sabotaging this opportunity due to the Governor’s continued failure to resolve the ongoing health crisis,” he warned.
Karungo cited the Urban Areas and Cities Act, noting that city status must be earned and not politically granted. “City status is not a political reward – it is earned by fulfilling clear statutory requirements, including well-functioning healthcare systems, equipped hospitals, and operational ambulances,” he said.
The senator laid bare the state of Kiambu’s collapsing health system. Among the critical issues he outlined in the press release include:
- Over 300 doctors below minimum staffing levels
- 13 hospitals at risk of closure by KMPDU or seizure by the national government for posing “imminent danger to patients”
- A county-wide doctors’ strike now in its 10th week
- An exodus of medical interns due to unsafe working conditions
- Ignored court orders requiring implementation of the 2024 Return-to-Work Formula
The affected facilities include Thika, Kiambu, and Gatundu Level V Hospitals, along with ten Level IV hospitals across the county.
Karungo said the crisis has left patients suffering in “under-resourced, barely functioning hospitals,” accusing the governor of betraying not only medical professionals but also Kiambu’s residents.
“I sympathize with the doctors over the unbearable workload and conditions,” he said, “but it is the patients who continue to bear the heaviest burden.”
He demanded that the Senate halt all discussions about Thika’s city status until the health crisis is resolved.
“No business as usual,” the senator said. “The Senate should not permit the governor to proceed with discussions on Thika’s city status without first addressing the collapse of healthcare in Kiambu County.”
He also called for public accountability and invited all striking doctors to attend the Senate Committee sitting on Devolution scheduled for Thursday at 10:00 AM.
“This is their chance to directly confront the Governor and present their demands,” he said.
Calling for full media coverage of the session, the senator stated, “The people of Kiambu deserve full visibility into how their county is being governed.”
Ending his statement on a stern note, Senator Karungo said, “The Governor has had 70 days to act. His continued negligence threatens not only lives – but the development future of our county. If we lose this opportunity to elevate Thika, the blame will rest solely with the Governor.”
