&w=64&q=75)
A dramatic scene unfolded at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital on Wednesday, January 24, after an ailing man, Sammy Kirato, was forcibly ejected from a hospital ward while awaiting treatment.
According to the relatives, officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) showed up to arrest Kirato, who had been admitted to the hospital after sustaining a gunshot injury in an encounter with the police.
Background: A shooting incident and hospital admission
Sammy Kirato's ordeal began on Saturday, January 20, when he found himself in a confrontation with a police officer who ultimately shot him.
The middle-aged man sustained a gunshot injury and was promptly rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital. The medical staff had booked him for an operation to remove the lodged bullet in his body.
As he awaited his scheduled operation, the family received a phone call that the service had been canceled.
"Tuliambiwa amedischargiwa. Sasa tukashangaa kwa nini atolewe na hajatibiwa? Tukauliza maswali wakakataa kutujibu," a family member said.
Shortly after, officers arrived to effect an arrest and disrupted the hospital's normal proceedings. It was reported that the reason behind Kirato's arrest remained unclear.
Family's plea: Arrest of Kirato should be postponed until he completes treatment
Amid the chaos, Kirato's family vehemently attempted to block the officers from apprehending him.
Expressing their concerns, they lamented that, irrespective of any alleged wrongdoing on Kirato's part, it was unjust for the detectives to execute the arrest before he had received the medical treatment he desperately needed.
"Even if he is in the wrong, they should have waited for him to be treated before the arrest. We don't have a problem with him being arrested because if he is liable for wrongdoing we won't oppose his prosecution. But they should have waited for him to be treated," voiced a distressed relative.