Whistleblowers Allege Cover-Up in Death of Young Mother at Nakuru Hospital

Whistleblowers have accused staff at Sisto Mazzoldi Hospital in Nakuru County of altering medical records and misleading a family following the death of a 24-year-old woman during a caesarean section.

The case concerns Agnes Chelang’at, a first-time mother who was admitted to the faith-based hospital in 2024 after going into labour. Relatives say she was healthy and optimistic about the birth of her child, but she never returned home after undergoing surgery.

Two former hospital employees, radiographer Amos Kiprop and nursing officer Wycliffe Nyachuba, have come forward with allegations of a cover-up. They say they decided to speak publicly after becoming concerned about what they describe as deliberate misrepresentation of events surrounding Agnes’ death, and about a wider culture of silence within the hospital.

Nyachuba was on duty when Agnes was admitted. He says clinical assessments showed she was not fit for a natural delivery and that a caesarean section was recommended. An external doctor was called in, as was standard practice at the level four facility, and Agnes was reported to be stable when Nyachuba completed his shift later that afternoon.

About three hours later, Nyachuba says he received a call informing him that the patient had died. He later reviewed theatre records that, in his view, contain serious inconsistencies. The documents include conflicting timelines on when anaesthesia was administered and when surgery began, as well as two differing versions of the operative report.

The records attribute detailed notes to the anaesthetist, Victor Onsare, including sections typically completed by the operating doctor. In one version of the report, the outcome alternates between death and referral to intensive care, with amendments visibly crossed out and rewritten. A second version states that Agnes was referred to another facility for higher-level care, despite indications that she had already died during surgery.

Journalists have reviewed a recorded phone conversation in which hospital management appears to discuss changing the reported time of death. The discussion suggests an attempt to support a claim that Agnes died while being transferred to another hospital rather than at Sisto Mazzoldi, a distinction with potential legal and regulatory implications.

Members of Agnes’ family say they were misled about her condition in the hours following surgery. Her sister, Mercy Cherutich, says staff repeatedly told her that Agnes was sedated, despite her body being cold and unresponsive. She says she was discouraged from fully uncovering her sister or asking questions, while the newborn baby had already been separated from the mother, contrary to referral procedures.

According to the family, the situation became clear only after the ambulance transporting Agnes stopped during the journey. Hospital staff reportedly left the vehicle to confer privately before returning to announce that Agnes had died. The family believes the death had occurred earlier and that they were not informed at the time.

Onsare, the anaesthetist named in the records, died in 2025 under unclear circumstances. Responsibility, however, has not been limited to him. The doctor and nursing assistants listed in the theatre records have either denied being present or declined to comment, referring all questions to hospital management.

The hospital administrator, Sister Sophia Redempta, is linked to recorded conversations suggesting awareness of altered documentation. She has not responded directly to the allegations and has referred inquiries to county authorities. Nakuru County officials confirm that an audit of the hospital was conducted but have not released the findings