Kitengela, Kenya — Outrage is mounting within Kenya’s medical community following disturbing reports that police barricades and indiscriminate tear gas deployment during the Saba Saba Day protests critically disrupted emergency healthcare services. In a rare show of unified dissent, the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) and the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) have condemned the police response as unconstitutional, calling it a “grave violation of human rights” that endangered innocent lives.

Frontline medical personnel have detailed a series of alarming incidents: ambulances delayed or outright blocked from reaching patients, gunshot victims stranded in transit, and expectant mothers forced to walk to hospital amid clouds of tear gas. One doctor described the situation as “chaotic and cruel.” “We are appalled,” said Dr. Diana Marion, Secretary-General of KMA. “Medical services are not optional. Police have a legal and moral obligation to facilitate — not obstruct — emergency care.”

The associations are now calling for an immediate end to the obstruction of medical services and a reaffirmation of medical neutrality — a core humanitarian principle requiring that healthcare providers and patients be protected, even in times of civil unrest.

This incident adds another troubling dimension to the already grim fallout from Saba Saba Day. It not only underscores the human toll of escalating political tensions but also raises urgent questions about the professionalism and preparedness of Kenya’s security forces. As calls for reform and accountability grow louder, the treatment of medics and patients during these protests may prove to be a watershed moment — one that forces the nation to confront the ethical boundaries of law enforcement in a democracy.