NAIROBI, 12 October 2026 – The public debate sparked by alleged inadequate service delivery at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) continues to intensify, with the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) insisting that frontline healthcare workers should not be collectively blamed.
In a concise statement issued on Monday, KNUNM Secretary General Seth Panyako acknowledged public concerns, complaints, and discussions surrounding service delivery at the Level 6A facility, but highlighted systemic issues such as staff shortages, insufficient resources, congestion, heavy workloads, and other institutional challenges.
“These are the issues that need urgent attention from the relevant authorities rather than the indiscriminate condemnation of frontline healthcare workers,” he emphasised.
Panyako stated that the union recognises the genuine concerns raised by patients and their families and affirms that every patient deserves safe, dignified, compassionate, and professional care.
The union, he reiterated, stands in solidarity with nurses and strongly warns against collectively blaming, condemning, or subjecting nursing professionals to online harassment and public trolling for systemic problems that are beyond their individual control.
At the same time, he said they value and respect the rights of patients and their families to quality healthcare, dignity, timely attention, and respectful treatment.
“We acknowledge that there may be instances where individual healthcare workers have fallen short of the expected standards of professionalism and conduct. Where such cases are substantiated, they should be addressed fairly through established institutional and professional accountability mechanisms,” the statement reads in part.
According to KNUNM, protecting nurses and safeguarding patients are complementary responsibilities, not competing interests.
“We therefore call upon the hospital management and relevant authorities to address systemic service delivery gaps, strengthen the working environment for healthcare workers, and ensure that legitimate public complaints receive timely and appropriate attention,” Panyako said.
The union appealed to members of the public to engage constructively, avoid generalisations, and refrain from personal attacks against nurses who continue to serve under demanding circumstances.
Equally, Panyako urged nursing colleagues to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, empathy, accountability, and respect in every patient interaction.
Looking ahead, KNUNM leadership commits to working collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders, including the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Kisumu County Government, and the Board of Management of JOOTRH, to jointly investigate the concerns raised, identify underlying systemic and operational gaps, and develop and implement tangible, sustainable solutions.
“Our objective is to promote accountability, improve the quality of patient care, strengthen the working environment for nurses, and restore public confidence in our healthcare institutions,” he said.
“We believe that constructive engagement, rather than blame and confrontation, offers the most effective path towards meaningful and lasting improvements.”
Panyako added: “Our position is clear: patients deserve quality care, nurses deserve dignity and a safe working environment, and healthcare institutions must be held accountable for the systems they are responsible for providing.”
“Sustainable improvement in healthcare delivery can only be achieved through constructive engagement, mutual respect, and collective responsibility.”
“KNUNM stands for the protection of patients, the dignity of nurses, and the strengthening of our public healthcare system,” Panyako emphasised.
