Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika is facing growing public outrage after reports surfaced that she is receiving medical treatment in the United States, months after her administration ordered the closure of Nakuru Memorial Hospital.
The private facility was one of the few offering quality healthcare in the county, leaving residents without essential medical services.
The news of Kihika’s treatment abroad has been met with fury, with many Kenyans decrying the hypocrisy of leaders who neglect local healthcare systems while turning to foreign hospitals for their own needs.
Blogger Odhiambo Levin Opiyo did not mince words in a viral social media post, stating, “Very unfortunate that a leader who closed down a private hospital that was providing quality medical care in her own county is now holed up in a US hospital.
“That’s why Trump should ban them so that they can focus on improving African healthcare systems. Otherwise, they’ll keep on running abroad.”
The closure of Nakuru Memorial Hospital left thousands of residents in limbo, forcing them to rely on underfunded and overstretched public hospitals.
Many critics argue that instead of strengthening healthcare facilities in her county, Kihika has prioritized political interests and vendettas, leaving residents vulnerable to inadequate medical care.
Under Kihika’s leadership, Nakuru’s healthcare system has deteriorated rapidly, plagued by staff shortages, a lack of essential drugs, and crumbling facilities.
Instead of addressing these urgent issues, she has chosen to seek treatment abroad, a move seen as a betrayal of the very people she was elected to serve.
Governor Kihika’s actions fit into a long-standing pattern of African leaders abandoning local healthcare systems in favor of first-class treatment overseas.
Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari spent extended periods receiving medical care in the United Kingdom, while Angola’s Eduardo dos Santos, Benin’s Patrice Talon, and Cameroon’s Paul Biya have all sought treatment abroad at the expense of taxpayers. Kihika now joins this infamous list, reinforcing a culture of neglect and hypocrisy.
The growing outrage has sparked calls for transparency and accountability. Activists and political commentators insist that African leaders should be restricted from seeking treatment abroad unless they have invested in and improved their own country’s healthcare systems.
Odhiambo Levin Opiyo summed up the anger of many Kenyans, saying, “Hata Kilobi wa Atwoli gave birth in Kenya. Si bado yuko tu? Why can’t our leaders trust the hospitals they impose on their people?”
His statement echoes the frustration of many who see Kihika’s actions as proof of her incompetence and disregard for the suffering of Nakuru residents.
With demands for answers mounting, residents insist that Governor Kihika must return home and face the consequences of her reckless decisions.
Will she take responsibility and fix the broken healthcare system she left behind, or will she, like many others, continue to prioritize personal convenience over public welfare? 
