Lawyer tells Kitale man to sell son to the hospital over bill

waweru kiarie

February 27, 2018 4:57 PM

He declined to sell his son to the hospital to clear the debt as advised by his lawyer

Kelly Wanjala, a 12-year-old boy has been held hostage in a Kitale hospital for more than one year over a Sh859,700 bill. He was admitted at Crystal Cottage Hospital on February 5 last year after he went down with pneumonia and malaria.

He was discharged on February 17 last year. At that time, the bill was Sh47,000.

The hospital has agreed that the parents pay only Sh47,000 and the rest was to be waived, but it has since backtracked and wants the whole amount paid.

When he was admitted, doctors in government hospitals were on strike. He was at the time under the care of his aunt.

Separation

The boy’s mother and father had separated back in 2009, leaving him in the custody of his aunt.

Wanjala was then a Standard Four pupil at Koykoy Primary School in Kiminini constituency.

The hospital management says it is concerned about his education but cannot release him before the bill is cleared.

The hospital management later on traced the boy’s parents Edward Makhanu and Annette Nanjala on August 29 last year.

They were both charged with child negligence and were given a noncustodial sentence of one year.

Discharge

Makhanu has signed an agreement with the hospital, stating he should clear the Sh47,000 which was the amount to be paid when Wanjala was discharged.

On December 4, Makhanu paid Sh5,000, but the hospital could not release his son.

“From there, I went and sold a piece of land that I had and I was able to pay Sh42,000 on February 5, bringing the total amount paid to Sh47,000,” he said.

Makhanu told the ‘Star’ he was asked by the lawyer to sell his son to the hospital, if he cannot raise the amount, which he declined.

waweru kiarie