The Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit in Nakuru City, the country's second largest maternity hospital after Pumwani in Nairobi, is grappling with a congestion crisis, with up to four mothers and their babies sharing a bed.
The 250-bed capacity maternity unit, located within the Nakuru Level Five Hospital, is stretched and crowded.
Independent investigations by the Daily Nation have revealed that beds at the maternity unit were not enough for the high number of women visiting the facility for delivery services.
The State-of-the-art maternity wing has a smart exterior, but the situation inside is dismal, with conditions continually deteriorating, leaving patients in despair.
Expectant mothers and others who have already delivered sleep in shifts, while others are forced to sleep on the floor.
The conditions are unbearable, according to mothers who spoke with the Nation .
Recent visits to the maternity wing revealed that the situation has been like that for some time now, with no possibility of a stopgap measure in sight.
A mother, Velyn (not her real name), who has been nursing a newborn baby at the facility, told the Nation that she and three other mothers were forced to share a bed throughout the time she was at the maternity wing.
"We have been sleeping in shifts. Sometimes four people share one bed, while others sleep on the floor. You just use some of your clothes and a leso to sleep, because there are no bedsheets and mattresses," she said.
"Sometimes we spend the night awake to allow our babies to sleep," she added.
The maternity wing, meant to provide safe care for expectant mothers, is now exposing them to the danger of contracting communicable diseases as a result of congestion in the wards.
A nurse at the facility, who sought anonymity, revealed to the Nation that sometimes, due to swelling numbers of expectant mothers are the facility, they are forced to arrange for makeshift beds on the floor or let mothers share a bed.
"The number of expectant mothers has been swelling in the past months and sometimes we are left with no option but to allow mothers and babies to share beds. This is because we can not turn away mothers who arrive at the facility ready to deliver," the nurse told the Nation .
Residents and civil society groups now want the Nakuru County government to take immediate action to improve conditions at the maternity unit to avoid exposing mothers to the risk of contracting infections.
The maternity unit delivers approximately 1,000 babies each month, serving not only Nakuru but also the neighbouring counties through referrals and walk-ins.
Health authorities have acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying the maternity unit has been overwhelmed by the growing number of patients it serves.
The county admitted the congestion, attributing it to the huge population that the health facility serves.
"As a high-volume regional referral centre, the hospital manages a complex patient load drawn from Nakuru and more than six neighbouring counties. This reality, combined with evolving service expectations, occasionally creates pressure at the facility," said Nakuru health executive Roselyn Mungai.
According to the health official, the choice of the facility by the majority of expectant mothers, rather than the Level 2,3 and 4 facilities, had further exacerbated the situation at the maternity unit.
"Generally, the Nakuru Level Five is a referral hospital, yet many mothers choose to come directly to the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit rather than first seek healthcare at Levels1-4. We need your partnership in guiding mothers towards Levels 2,3 and 4 facilities for primary care, so that the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit can be reserved for tertiary and referral cases, which is its core mandate," stated Ms Mungai.
Ms Mungai further explained that recent investments in Levels 2,3 and 4 hospitals in Nakuru are meant to decongest the Nakuru Level Five Hospital which houses the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit.
"The recent upgrade of the Bondeni Maternity in Nakuru City, Gilgil Maternity, Naivasha Sub-County Hospital, Molo Sub-County Hospital-which now has a new Kangaroo Mother Care unit and many others, is aimed at decongesting the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit, "added the official.
The health official says the devolved unit is focused on revamping the lower health facilities to enable them to provide primary services and allow the Nakuru Level Five Hospital to address complex and referral cases.
"We therefore prioritise single-bed occupancy for antenatal and postnatal mothers, as we actively work to establish independent boarding facilities for Newborn Unit mothers. This is a systematic constraint under regional pressure, not negligence. It is very hard to turn away that mother who shows up ready to deliver, "explained the county official.
The state-of-the-art maternity wing, constructed at a cost of Sh450million, is the biggest maternity facility in the larger Rift Valley region and second after Nairobi County's Pumwani Hospital, which offers pregnancy care and safe childbirth in the region.
It also serves Bomet, Baringo, Narok, Kericho, Samburu, Laikipia and Nyandarua Counties.
The maternity wing is a standalone facility, with four modern theatres with shadeless lamps, an Intensive Care Unit for both mothers and the baby unit, a pharmacy, a laboratory, an imaging centre, and antenatal and postnatal clinics.
All maternal services, including reproductive health and children's complications, are offered at the facility.
Children born with complications get specialised care at the neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which also promotes the Kangaroo mother care programme for those born prematurely.
Other services offered include child clinic, immunisation and family planning.
The hospital unit also has a well-designed garden to help mothers and babies in the healing process.
According to residents, the recent closure of the Mediheal Hospital and the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital, due to land ownership wrangles, has left the Nakuru Level Five Hospital and the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit grappling with congestion.
"The continued closure of the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital and the recent closure of Mediheal Hospital, which used to decongest Nakuru Level Five, have left the referral facility reeling under the burden of the ever-increasing number of patients. It was expected," said a resident, James Kariuki.
Recently, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union(KMPDU)South Rift Secretary Dr Stephen Omondi revealed that due to the growing number of patients, the Nakuru Level Five Hospital was generally grappling with a shortage of nurses, doctors and other medics, as well as essential equipment.
"In the paediatric ward, which ideally should have 12 medical officers, the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Unit is left with only six. Generally, the hospital needs at least 300 additional nurses.The strained workforce has contributed to the rising complaints of negligence from patients," he stated.
But this is not the first time the Nakuru Level Five Hospital largest referral facility in the South Rift region, is in the spotlight.
The current congestion crisis only adds to situations and incidents that have made the referral hospital grab national headlines in the past months.
In April 2025, it gripped the national limelight after a disturbing video clip of patients sleeping in the cold resurfaced.
