When Mary* went into labour and was rushed to Longisa County Referral Hospital lasr Friday, she expected to receive quality care at Bomet County's largest public health facility.
Labour progressed normally, and a day later she delivered her first child, a healthy baby girl at the hospital's maternity wing.
But only hours after giving birth, she made a shocking discovery that there was no running water in the hospital.
Entrance to Longisa County Referral hospital, Bomet county in this photo taken on July 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation
She would later learn that the taps had been dry for more than two weeks. Like many other mothers in the maternity ward, she was forced to seek alternative water sources.
Her caregiver bought a 20-litre jerrican for Sh120, cleaned it and walked nearly two kilometres to Kipsoen River to fetch water.
“Realising there was no water for bathing or washing clothes was both shocking and disorienting. Other mothers who sympathised with my situation shared the little water they had while I waited for my sister to return from the river," said Mary.
Three days into her admission, fetching water had become part of her daily routine as she awaited discharge on Monday.
“In the last three days, water was restored only once and for a few hours before it ran out again because of the high demand. The shortages have persisted for several days, posing serious health and sanitation risks,” she said.
A hawker fetches water to sell to caregivers of patients at Longisa County Referral Hospital in Bomet County on July 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation
Alice*, another caregiver, said relatives of patients have been making early morning trips to the river because the hospital administration is allegedly trying to conceal the extent of the crisis.
“We have repeatedly been stopped at the gate and instructed to use five-litre jerricans so it is not obvious there is a water shortage. The guards told us they were acting on instructions from the hospital management,” she alleged.
She added that whenever management learns journalists are making inquiries, temporary measures are quickly introduced.
“Once the administration realises the media has gained access to the facility, they take desperate measures to restore order, but it only lasts for a few days. We have seen these knee-jerk reactions before," she says.
A spot check by the Nation found similar conditions in the general wards where patients and caregivers were also fetching water for their own use.
The shortages have left the hospital visibly untidy, with dusty and dry sinks, clogged toilets and foul odours drifting through the wards.
“We have lived with this situation for a long time. Just look under the beds and around the wards and you will see how dirty the hospital has become,” said Davi*, a patient who has been admitted for the past two months.
Patients at Longisa County Referral Hospital in Bomet County on July 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
The Bomet Health Executive, Dr Joseph Sitonik and the department's Chief Officer Felix Langat, acknowledged that the hospital occasionally experiences water shortages but maintained that the situation is managed through water bowsers.
“We currently rely on water bowsers to supply Longisa County Referral Hospital because the facility does not yet have a borehole capable of meeting its water needs. The responsibility for water supply lies with Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (Bomwasco), not the Department of Health,” Dr Sitonik said.
He added that cleaning services at the hospital had been outsourced to ensure hygiene standards are maintained.
Mr Langat said the hospital's growing patient numbers had placed additional pressure on available resources.
“We visited the hospital this morning and found water flowing in the taps. We will establish the current situation. However, Longisa serves not only Bomet residents but also patients from neighbouring Narok, Nakuru and Nyamira counties, and we cannot turn them away,” he said.
A caregiver at Longisa County Referral hospital in Bomet county delivering water for use by a patient in this photo taken on July 13, 2026. The hospital has been facing acute water shortages for two weeks, with caregivers forced to source water from local rivers.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation
The two officials also insisted that a private contractor responsible for cleaning services was addressing sanitation concerns and maintained that there were no major hygiene problems at the referral hospital.
However, Bomwasco, a company wholly owned by the Bomet County Government, has struggled with financial difficulties for more than seven years, undermining its ability to provide a reliable water supply.
For the past three years, Bomet Town has experienced chronic water shortages, forcing residents and businesses to rely on nearby rivers for domestic use.
Bomwasco has also failed to pay employees for several months and reportedly owes Kenya Power more than Sh20 million, resulting in electricity disconnections at key water projects, including the Bomet Water Treatment Works.
