“Enough Is Enough!” — Life Care Eldoret Doctors Revolt Over Racism, Toxic Leadership, Unpaid Deductions and Crippling Staff Shortages

Tension is escalating at Life Care Hospital in Eldoret after doctors, nurses and healthcare workers staged a public protest accusing the hospital management of toxic leadership, discrimination, chronic understaffing and failure to remit statutory deductions, in what could signal the beginning of a major labor dispute at one of the region’s prominent private medical facilities.

In a strongly worded press briefing attended by dozens of staff members on Monday morning, healthcare workers openly confronted the hospital administration, claiming they had suffered in silence for too long while patient care and employee welfare continued to deteriorate.

The emotional address, punctuated by chants of “Power! Power! Power!” and threats of an imminent strike, exposed deep frustrations among employees who accused the management of intimidation, dictatorship and racial discrimination in salaries and workplace treatment.

Leading the address was Dr. Otieno Ibrahim, a medical officer at the facility, who said staff members had repeatedly attempted to engage the administration through meetings and internal dialogue, but their concerns were allegedly ignored or dismissed.

“We have a number of concerns and we feel they have not been addressed fully for a long time,” Dr. Ibrahim stated.

“Since the change in leadership, there has been a dismissive attitude created by the management. We speak but we think we are not being heard fairly. We are not given time to air our views, and even if we air our views, they are dismissed immediately.”

According to the staff, the current administration has allegedly created a hostile working environment where employees fear victimization and intimidation whenever they attempt to raise concerns.

Several workers claimed that management meetings often turn confrontational instead of constructive.

“Anytime you go to the meeting, the boss keeps shouting at you and knocking you down. You cannot even express yourself clearly because whatever he thinks, he believes he is always right,” one employee alleged.

The workers said repeated attempts to communicate through official letters and internal channels had failed, forcing them to publicly air their grievances before the media.

“That is why today we have assembled here because it is our constitutional right. There is a lot of dictatorship and toxicity here,” another staff member declared.

A major concern raised during the briefing was severe understaffing, which employees say is pushing healthcare workers beyond reasonable limits and compromising patient safety.

Doctors and nurses alleged that the hospital lacks adequate personnel to handle the growing number of patients, resulting in long working hours and physical exhaustion among medical staff.

“As medical officers, nurses and employees of this facility, we feel we are understaffed,” Dr. Ibrahim said.

“Patients are not getting good care because of the understaffing. We are forced to work very long hours. Some staff members are working six days every week continuously. We also have lives outside this hospital.”

The workers warned that unless staffing levels improve urgently, the quality of healthcare services could continue deteriorating.

In another explosive accusation, employees alleged that the hospital has been deducting money for medical insurance and statutory contributions from workers’ salaries without properly remitting the funds to the relevant institutions.

Staff members claimed that despite regular deductions, many are unable to access healthcare services when they fall sick because their insurance cover allegedly remains inactive.

“You can imagine getting sick today and you cannot even receive treatment from the facility where you work,” one worker lamented.

“You are told to go to another hospital, but when you arrive there, your cover is not working. Yet deductions are being made every month from our salaries.”

The employees also accused the hospital of failing to remit National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Social Health Authority (SHA) and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) deductions.

According to one speaker, NSSF contributions had allegedly not been remitted since January 2026, while HELB remittances were also in arrears.

“We want the boards for NSSF, SHA and HELB to come and interrogate this employer,” a staff member said passionately.

“They have been stalling our money. There must be investigations because this is illegal.”

The workers claimed that failure to remit the deductions had exposed many employees to financial and legal uncertainty despite faithfully contributing through payroll deductions.

Perhaps the most controversial issue raised during the briefing involved allegations of racism and salary discrimination within the hospital.

Several healthcare workers accused the institution of paying foreign employees, particularly Indians, significantly higher salaries than Kenyan staff even when local professionals occupy more senior positions.

The allegations sparked outrage among the assembled workers, with some describing the practice as humiliating and discriminatory.

“Most of the staff here are Africans and Kenyans, but the attention given to us is much less compared to foreigners,” one medic claimed.

“You will find someone who is simply supervising cleaning services earning more than a medical superintendent just because he is Indian.”

Another speaker alleged that some foreign medical officers earn substantially higher salaries than Kenyan doctors performing similar duties.

“There is a lot of discrimination in payment. There is a lot of racism when it comes to salaries,” the employee alleged.

The workers maintained that they were not attacking foreign nationals personally, but were demanding fairness, transparency and equal treatment for all employees regardless of nationality.

Dr. Amele Ndoli, who identified himself as a legally employed and licensed medical officer at the hospital, defended the workers’ decision to speak publicly and insisted that employees were simply demanding lawful treatment.

“I was employed with due process and in the correct way,” he said.

The emotional briefing later shifted toward calls for dialogue and accountability, with employees insisting that they still preferred negotiations over industrial action.

Dr. Hazel Nduru, a cardiologist at the facility, said workers had reached a breaking point after repeated efforts to seek internal solutions allegedly failed.

“This is something we have repeated over and over again,” Dr. Nduru said.

“All we want today is for the administration to meet us and hear our grievances. We will give them timelines and non-negotiables. If those demands are not met, then we shall issue a strike notice.”

She further alleged that some workers had been silenced for speaking out internally.

“People are being deleted from WhatsApp groups. There is no avenue for us to speak up. Today we have decided enough is enough,” she said.

Despite the fiery statements and rising tensions, the employees clarified that they had not yet downed their tools and patient services were still ongoing at the time of the briefing.

“We are not downing our tools today,” one doctor emphasized.

“Today we have only come to demand a hearing. But if nothing changes within the timelines we shall give, then we will officially issue a strike notice.”

The workers also insisted that Kenyan labor laws protect their right to assemble and voice workplace grievances without intimidation or retaliation.

“Kenya is not a lawless country and we shall be protected by the law,” one speaker declared confidently.

The dramatic protest ended with workers raising clenched fists and chanting “Power! Power! Power!” as colleagues and supporters applauded in solidarity.

The unfolding standoff now places Life Care Hospital under growing public scrutiny, with pressure mounting on the management to respond to the serious allegations raised by its staff.

However  Management at LifeCare Hospital through it's Human Resources Unit Head Joshua Rop has acknowledged concerns and unrest among staff members at its Eldoret branch following internal tensions reported within the facility.

“Team Lifecare Eldoret,” the hospital’s management said it was committed to resolving any issues “amicably, respectfully, and in accordance with company policy and applicable laws.”

He  noted that management had not yet received any formal written complaints from employees despite the reported unrest.

“We acknowledge that there were concerns and unrest among some team members today,” the statement read, while urging staff to formally submit grievances, concerns, or suggestions in writing to enable management to review and address the matters appropriately.

He said the management plans to send representatives to the Eldoret unit for discussions with staff once written concerns are received. Alternatively, employees may nominate representatives to meet senior management at the company’s head office at Arch Place in Nairobi.

The hospital also appealed to workers to maintain professionalism, patience, and discipline as efforts continue toward what it described as a “positive and constructive outcome.”