A woman who was captured on camera harassing staff at a hospital in Busia County was Monday charged with assault.
Lenny Vanessa Ogema was also charged with causing malicious damage to property and issuing threats of injury to persons employed in the public service.
She was arraigned before Port Victoria law court where she denied the charges and was released on bond of Sh200,000 with surety of similar amount, without an option for cash bail.
She Sunday surrendered to police.
This is after she had been summoned for statement recording.
This is after those harassed and abused recorded their statements with the police over the same accusing Ogema and a male colleague of the claims.
In the viral video which made rounds on January 3, Ogema and an unidentified man were seen harassing hospital staff.
The woman was seen causing chaos by throwing files on the floor and hitting a table while shouting at the hospital staff.
When the issue went public, it caused anger forcing sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to issue a statement to distance himself from the same. This is after the woman cited his name.
Read: Woman Captured Harassing Staff in Busia Hospital Surrenders to Police
The matter agitated members of the public. Normal operations at the Port Victoria sub-county hospital in Busia County were on Friday January 5 paralyzed as nurses went on strike protesting the attack.
Families were forced to transfer their patients to other hospitals as the nurses downed their tools to protest the January 2, 2024 incident where Ogema and her colleague demanded swift delivery of healthcare services for their relative.
Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General Seth Panyako condemned the incident.
The nurses’ body demanded stern action taken against the two people who are seen on recorded video harassing the worker.
Busia County government said in a statement hospital property was destroyed in the process, including an oxygen concentrator.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha too condemned the incident and added the perpetrators of such acts will face the full force of the law.
“Acts of violence against our healthcare workers are not only reprehensible but intolerable. Healthcare workers deserve our utmost respect as they are the backbone of our healthcare system. They work tirelessly – sometimes under challenging conditions to ensure the well-being of all citizens across different hospital levels,” she said.
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