The Longisa County Referral Hospital, the premier health facility in Bomet County, has become a stark symbol of a failing healthcare system.
Recent reports and viral images reveal a grim reality: patients, weakened by illness, are forced to wash their own clothes and linens within the hospital premises due to a lack of consistent water supply.
Even more alarming, families are now carrying jerricans of water to ensure their loved ones can hydrate or maintain basic hygiene.
This crisis is not a mere technical glitch; it reflects systemic neglect. While the hospital serves thousands across the South Rift, its basic operations are paralyzed. The Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (BOMAWASCO) has reportedly become technically insolvent, with debts exceeding Sh300 million and staff going unpaid for over 19 months.
This financial collapse has directly affected hospital wards, where the lack of water poses a severe risk of secondary infections, including cholera.
The timing of this crisis is politically sensitive. Governor Hillary Barchok, currently facing legal battles over corruption allegations, and former Governor Isaac Ruto, a dominant political figure in the region, are under scrutiny.
Critics argue that despite years in power, both leaders have failed to implement a sustainable water solution for the county’s top referral hospital.
As the 2027 gubernatorial race begins to take shape, the sight of a patient carrying a jerrican into a referral hospital is a “bullet to the conscience” of Bomet residents. For the electorate, the question is no longer about party loyalty but about basic dignity.
If the current and former leadership wish to maintain influence beyond 2027, they must first explain why, in 2026, a mother must still fetch her own water in a “referral” facility.
This situation highlights the long-standing challenges at Longisa County Referral Hospital, including repeated strikes and service delivery failures that have historically plagued the facility.
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