Fact Check:Were Police Brutality Victims Discharged Early? Inside the KNH Treatment Claims

Government Directives (Free Treatment): In June 2025 the national government officially promised free and full treatment for all protest victims injured by security forces. Defence CS Aden Duale announced that Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) must waive all medical bills for patients injured in the June 17–25, 2025 demonstrations, charging costs to KNH’s Disaster Emergency Fund.

The Ministry of Health likewise issued a statement on June 30, 2025, “waiving all medical bills” for those injured during the rallies. (By extension, similar directives were later reported at county level – e.g. Kisii and Kiambu governments also pledged fee waivers for their hospitalized protest victims.) These orders effectively implemented Article 43 of Kenya’s Constitution, which mandates the right to the highest attainable health standard and prohibits denying emergency care.

In practice, hospitals were instructed not to charge treatment costs. We found no evidence that such directives were rescinded; on the contrary, press releases and news reports confirm they were issued and meant to be applied (e.g. CS Duale’s June 2025 directives).

Hospital Response and Patient Outcomes

Public hospitals did admit and treat the protest casualties, generally stabilizing and then releasing patients as clinically appropriate. For example, KNH Acting CEO Dr. William Sigilai reported on June 18, 2025 that KNH’s Accident & Emergency Centre had received 16 protest casualties (injuries from gunshots and beatings).

 Of those 16, seven were admitted for further care and nine “were treated and discharged”. Likewise, opposition MP Babu Owino – who visited the ward – confirmed 16 admissions and nine discharges. By contrast, patients with serious wounds were kept for surgery: a KNH surgeon said on June 28, 2024 that KNH had operated on 72 patients and discharged 165 from earlier protests. In short, hospitals reported treating all incoming victims; stable patients were discharged once emergency care was complete (as noted by KNH’s officers).

Throughout the incidents, there were no reported orders or documented cases of forcibly pushing victims out before care was rendered. All published hospital statements indicate patients stayed as long as medically needed (including overnight for surgery).

The only context in which “premature discharge” appears in Kenyan media was during 2023 nationwide health-worker strikes – unrelated to protest victims. For example, a Standard newspaper investigation in July 2023 noted that strikes led some hospitals to discharge general patients early due to staff shortages.

That is a systemic capacity issue, not a targeted policy against police-violence victims. In contrast, no source suggests protest patients were kicked out early; instead, staff reports emphasize that clinical need determined length of stay.

Table: Selected protest casualty statistics. “Discharged after treatment” refers to patients stabilized and sent home. KNH=Kenyatta National Hospital.

Patient, Staff and NGO Reports

No patient testimonial or NGO report surfaced accusing hospitals of wrongful early discharge. In fact, civil-society commentary focused overwhelmingly on police misconduct and patients’ rights. Amnesty International and human-rights lawyers strongly condemned the police – e.g. noting that security forces “abdicated” their duty to protect protesters. The Kenya Medical Association (representing doctors) highlighted attacks on medics, not hospitals: KMA decried reports of police beating or obstructing health workers treating the injured. (KMA specifically pointed out such violence itself “violates the Constitution” and Article 43 rights.) The Law Society, KNCHR and rights coalitions likewise faulted police for brutality and excessive force. Notably, none of these groups accused hospitals of prematurely discharging patients.

One exception was media coverage of the health workers’ own strike actions: as noted, public sector doctors and nurses briefly halted services in mid-2023. News accounts from that period described some general patients being sent home early for lack of staff. However, these were all public patients across the system, not specifically protest victims, and were due to staffing shortages (weeks-long strikes). By contrast, protest victims arrived under normal emergency-duty conditions once the strikes were resolved, and hospitals resumed full emergency care (often mobilizing extra staff and blood supplies).

Financial Coverage and Capacity

Reported costs for treating protest injuries were significant, but the state assumed them. For instance, the hospital bill for Boniface Kariuki (a masked vendor shot in the head on June 17, 2025) was originally over KSh 1,000,000, but was explicitly waived under the Duale directive. The government’s emergency fund (linked to Kenya’s new Universal Health Scheme) was designated to absorb all protest-related treatment costs. Local governments also pledged support: Kisii County’s governor waived all medical fees for brutality victims in his hospitals, and Kiambu County announced that every protest casualty’s bills in county facilities (including Kiambu Level 5) would be fully waived (covering emergency, surgeries, etc.) [local media].

In short, financial barriers were removed: both national and county officials promised free care. Hospitals were instructed to rely on government or insurance pools instead of charging patients. We did not find any report of protests victims being billed or denied treatment for lack of payment – indeed the official stance was payment-free care. (By law, emergency treatment is constitutionally free anyway.)

Capacity was a challenge in one sense – hospitals were very busy. Large numbers of casualties strained resources (KNH admitted scores of injured in a short period). However, hospital officials and union leaders said they triaged by urgency: critically wounded patients received surgery or ICU care, while others got first aid and were discharged if stable. For example, KNH’s deputy director reported evacuating 200 injured to Nairobi hospitals by June 2024, and performed 72 surgeries while sending 165 patients home within days. These figures suggest hospitals managed the influx rather than abandoned patients.

Legal and Constitutional Issues

Kenya’s Constitution enshrines health rights. Article 43(1) guarantees “the highest attainable standard of health” and Article 43(2) explicitly prohibits denying anyone emergency medical treatment. Thus any hospital policy forcing needed patients to depart early could violate constitutional rights. Health authorities and civil groups have already framed this context: the KMA noted that police interference with medical care “violates the Constitution” and Article 43. If protest victims had been discharged despite needing care, that might constitute a breach of these provisions. However, our review found no such case: on the contrary, official policies (national directives and county waivers) reinforced Article 43 by ensuring free emergency care.

No litigation or official inquiry has accused hospitals of contempt or rights violations. (By contrast, there have been calls to investigate police conduct.) Hospitals are bound by clinical standards; in interviews, KNH staff emphasized adhering to trauma-care protocols and respecting patient privacy. We found no credible evidence of any Kenyan court or watchdog sanctioning hospitals for early discharges of these patients.

Timeline of Key Events

• April 2023: Opposition leader Raila Odinga visits injured demonstrators. News reports note victims were receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital and Mbagathi Hospital.

• July 7, 2023 (Saba Saba): Anti-government protests turn violent nationwide (at least 10 dead, ~29 injured). Media report victims treated in Nairobi (KNH, Kiambu L5) and elsewhere. [Local reports].

• Jul 28, 2023: Kisii County Governor waives all hospital bills for police-brutality victims in his jurisdiction.

• June 17–25, 2025: New round of youth-led protests across Kenya (over a teacher’s death in custody and other grievances) lead to dozens killed and hundreds injured.

  • Jun 18, 2025: Kenyatta Hospital reports 16 protest casualties (7 admitted, 9 treated and discharged).

  • Jun 19: Lawmakers and lawyers (e.g. Babu Owino) visit KNH patients, echoing 16 injured with 9 discharged. KNCHR begins logging nationwide casualties.

  • Jun 25: First anniversary of 2024 protests. Security crackdowns leave an estimated ~400 injured. Reuters reports “56 people were hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds” nationwide, with KNH admitting 56 patients by late afternoon (and 90 by nightfall). Local rights groups confirm hundreds treated and the majority discharged.

  • Jun 28: The Kenya Medical Association and others report over 200 injured, 165 discharged and 72 surgeries at KNH since the protests began. KMA warns police attacks on doctors violate Article 43.

  • Jun 30, 2025: Health CS Aden Duale officially waives all medical bills for these protest victims, directing KNH to charge them to the emergency fund.

• July 7, 2025: Saba Saba march anniversary triggers further protests. Reuters reports at least 11 dead in clashes and confirms some hospitals (including in Nairobi and Kitengela) were attacked by mobs demanding care. No reports of hospital early-release policies emerged.

In summary, credible evidence indicates that no systematic “premature discharge” of police brutality victims from the listed public hospitals was documented. On the contrary, the government explicitly mandated full treatment, and hospitals appear to have complied by treating and then releasing patients as they recovered. Media and health officials report that many injured protesters were attended to in Kenyatta, Mbagathi and Kiambu Level 5 (as well as other centres). When patients left, it was after clinical assessment and not due to refusal of service: e.g. KNH officials stated that nine of 16 casualties were discharged only after being treated.

By contrast, all documented “premature discharges” pertained to unrelated staffing crises (health-worker strikes). No patient or NGO has provided verifiable testimony that police victims were rushed out of KNH, Mbagathi or Kiambu against medical advice. On the contrary, rights groups and medical associations have focused on ensuring victims get care (and on protecting healthcare workers). Financially, the state assumed all costs (waiving bills for each victim, including a ~KSh815,805 bill for one casualty), so inability to pay was not cited as a reason to discharge anyone.

Legally, forcing an injured person out would breach Article 43. So far, the authorities have publicly treated Article 43 as a solemn commitment – Duale even framed the waiver policy as “fully operationalizing Article 43(2)” for free emergency care. In practice, hospitals have largely adhered to medical standards: treating emergencies and sending patients home only when it is medically safe to do so.