Papa Shirandula's widow accuses Karen Hospital of negligence
Charles Bukeko's wife, Beatrice Andega, addresses mourners at her husband's burial at Nanderema, Funyula in Busia County, July 20, 2020. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Beatrice Andega, while speaking at her husband's funeral on Monday morning, alleged that negligence led to his death.
- She told mourners that hospital staff dragged their feet in attending to her husband when she took him for treatment on Saturday.
- The actor's father said the family requires further explanation from the hospital.
The wife of actor Charles Bukeko, popularly known as Papa Shirandula, has accused the Karen Hospital of negligence.
Beatrice Andega, while speaking at her husband's funeral on Monday morning, said the facility's alleged negligence may have led to his death.
She told mourners that hospital staff dragged their feet in attending to her husband when she took him for treatment on Saturday, the fateful day.
"They didn't consider his condition an emergency and he died while we were at the waiting bay," she said.
The comedian died inside his car while waiting for hospital admission, his wife says.
"When he went to hospital, he requested for three tests of malaria, pneumonia and Covid-19 but the hospital concentrated only on Covid and ignored the rest," Ms Andega added.
The Nation's queries to the hospital over the matter went unanswered and no response had been received by press time.
Meanwhile, his father Cosmas Bukeko has denied that the actor died from Covid-19 complications.
He said the family requires further explanation from the hospital on the events of the day his son died.
"For now l cannot say anything about his illness until we sit with the hospital. I'll travel to Nairobi and together with his wife, we shall engage a lawyer to get proper information from the hospital," he said.
Papa Shirandula's father, Cosmas Bukeko Wafula, addresses mourners on July 20, 2020. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Valaria Makokha, mother to the late Papa Shirandula, addresses mourners. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Mourners follow the funeral through the home's fence. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Vigilant police officers keep watch as people are locked outside the home where the service is taking place. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The body of Papa Shirandula was laid to rest at 8:45am after the brief burial ceremony, exactly five hours after it arrived from Nairobi. Shortly after, people were asked to leave the homestead.
Villagers who turned up early hoping to be allowed into the compound to attend the service met a rude shock as they were locked outside by hawk-eyed security officials.
Family members, friends, security and health officers spent the night at the home waiting for the body as they sat around bonfires to keep warm.
His fellow actors were among mourners who accompanied the body from Nairobi in two buses.
The actors, led by Jacky Nyaminde popularly known as ‘Wilbroda’ and who played his wife in the TV comedy show Papa Shirandula, eulogised him as a father, a mentor and promoter of talents.
Update: Karen Hospital has responded here to the family's claims of neglect.
