By SHABAN MAKOKHA
October 16, 2026| She walked into Mumias Level 4 Hospital carrying the quiet hopes of every expectant mother—to hold her newborn, to return home, and to begin a beautiful new chapter of motherhood.
Instead, Saum Juma’s family was left with unimaginable grief. She died barely an hour after giving birth.
Her death on October 13, 2026, has plunged her loved ones into mourning and ignited public outrage, with political and business leaders demanding justice and urgent reforms at the facility to prevent other families from enduring a similar tragedy.
The leaders have called on Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa to intervene personally, establish the circumstances surrounding Juma’s death, and ensure that health workers or officials found culpable face appropriate disciplinary action.
They are also demanding a sweeping review of staffing and management at the hospital, arguing that a facility entrusted with the lives of thousands of residents cannot be allowed to operate under conditions that put mothers and newborns at risk.
For Juma’s family, the pain is compounded by questions that remain unanswered: Could her life have been saved if a qualified medical professional had been available when she needed urgent attention? Could the tragedy have been prevented if the hospital had adequate personnel, equipment, and emergency referral services?
As grief gives way to anger, residents are demanding answers, accountability, and concrete action from the county government.
“A Wake-Up Call”
Mumias Central MCA Ali Okomba said the death should serve as a wake-up call for county leadership and health officials responsible for ensuring that public hospitals provide safe and reliable medical services.
Okomba, who toured the facility following the incident, said Mumias Level 4 Hospital remains a critical healthcare institution for residents of Mumias and neighbouring areas and should not be allowed to deteriorate.
He noted that the facility has the capacity to handle between 200 and 250 deliveries every month, making it essential that it be adequately staffed and equipped to protect the lives of mothers and their babies.
“The nurses who were supposed to be on duty when Saum died must face stern action,” Okomba said. “Similarly, officials in the county’s Ministry of Health must also be held accountable.”
He challenged leaders and public servants to take responsibility for the services entrusted to them, insisting that the loss of a mother during what should have been a safe delivery could not simply be ignored.
Okomba also expressed concern over reports that students on attachment had been left to attend to patients without the presence of qualified medical personnel.
He said such allegations required a thorough investigation to establish whether there had been negligence, a breakdown in supervision, or other failures that may have contributed to Juma’s death.
For the grieving family, however, any investigation must deliver more than promises. They want the truth about what happened to their loved one—and assurances that another mother will not lose her life under similar circumstances.
Business Community Demands Overhaul
Mumias business community chairman Ali Matseshe said the tragedy had exposed serious weaknesses in the hospital’s staffing and service delivery.
He argued that the county government needed to urgently assess the competence and availability of personnel at the facility while ensuring that patients received care from appropriately qualified professionals.
“If the facility had qualified medics, they would have saved the life of Saum Juma,” Matseshe said. “We therefore demand a total overhaul of the staff at Mumias Level 4 Hospital. In turn, we also demand more qualified medics.”
Matseshe said the hospital should be strengthened to meet the needs of the growing population that depends on it for maternity, emergency, and other essential medical services.
Zuleka Wanga echoed those concerns, alleging that some women were left without adequate attention after delivery—a period when complications can quickly become life-threatening.
She blamed the circumstances surrounding Juma’s death on what she described as a failure by the medical personnel who were supposed to be attending to her.
“Our sister died because nurses who were on duty surrendered their duties to students who are on attachment,” Wanga said. “Her death solely lies in the hands of medics at Level 4.”
Calls for Transparency
The allegations have heightened calls for an independent and transparent investigation to establish exactly what happened before, during, and after Juma’s delivery.
The family’s claims about the absence of a qualified doctor, the presence of only two trainees, and the lack of an ambulance for an emergency referral have also raised questions about the hospital’s readiness to handle complications that may arise during childbirth.
Residents are insisting that they deserve clear answers and a public account of the measures being taken to address any shortcomings.
The outcry has also been fuelled by claims from residents that more than 14 mothers and newborns have died at the facility since the beginning of the year.
If confirmed, the reported deaths would underscore the urgency of investigating maternal and neonatal outcomes at the hospital, identifying recurring problems, and taking corrective action.
Residents say the county government must move beyond issuing statements of sympathy and demonstrate its commitment to protecting mothers through improved staffing, better equipment, adequate medicines, and reliable emergency referral services.
They have appealed to Governor Barasa to intervene directly, arguing that the loss of a mother and the anguish of her family should be enough to trigger an immediate review of maternity services at the facility.
Fears Over Linda Mama
The residents have also linked the challenges facing maternal healthcare to the reported removal of the Linda Mama programme, which had supported access to maternity services, including antenatal care and delivery in health facilities.
They argue that any changes in maternity financing must not leave expectant mothers unable to access essential care or discourage them from seeking professional medical attention before and after childbirth.
However, they want the county government to establish the precise causes of Saum’s death rather than allow speculation to overshadow the investigation.
At the centre of the demands is a simple appeal: mothers should be able to enter a hospital to give birth without their families having to fear that they may never return home.
Residents want the county government to ensure that Mumias Level 4 Hospital has enough qualified doctors, nurses, and other health professionals to manage deliveries and respond promptly when complications arise.
They are also demanding adequate supplies of essential medicines, functional medical equipment, and operational ambulances capable of transferring patients to better-equipped facilities when necessary.
For a mother in labour, minutes can make the difference between life and death. Residents say the availability of trained personnel and functioning emergency services must therefore be treated as a basic requirement rather than an optional improvement.
They are further calling for stronger supervision of students on attachment, insisting that trainees must work under the guidance of qualified professionals and must never become a substitute for essential medical staffing.
The county Ministry of Health is now under pressure to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident and demonstrate what steps it will take to restore public confidence in the hospital.
A Future Forever Changed
For Juma’s loved ones, however, no administrative reshuffle, disciplinary action, or improvement in hospital services can bring her back.
Her death has left a family mourning a woman who had entered the hospital with the hope of welcoming a child into their lives. Instead of celebrating a new arrival, they are left confronting the pain of a future that has suddenly changed.
Their loss has become a rallying cry for residents who fear that without urgent intervention, other families could face the same heartbreak.
As leaders press for accountability, the message to the county government is unmistakable: maternal healthcare must be protected, medical workers must be held to professional standards, and every reported death must be investigated thoroughly and transparently.
Residents say justice for Saum Juma must mean establishing the truth, holding anyone found responsible accountable, and implementing lasting changes that protect other mothers and newborns.
For them, the ultimate measure of justice will not be the number of officials transferred or statements issued, but whether the next woman who walks into Mumias Level 4 Hospital to give birth receives the care she needs to walk out alive with her baby.