Once, in the heart of Baringo South, stood a sanctuary of survival. Kimalel Health Centre was not just another rural facility; it was a lifeline, a place where hope took root and lives were saved.

At the height of its prominence, patients streamed in from across the North Rift Region, many battling the deadly scourge of kala-azar. Here, they found skilled care, critical treatment, and a chance to live.

Today, that vibrancy has all but vanished. Approaching the facility now, an eerie stillness replaces what was once a hive of activity. There are no queues, no hurried footsteps, or reassuring voices of healthcare workers attending to waves of patients. The silence is heavy, almost unsettling, a stark contrast to its past.

The decline began years ago when the kala-azar treatment centre was relocated to Chemolingot in Tiaty Central Sub-County. With that move, Kimalel’s heartbeat began to fade: patients dwindled, resources dried up, and attention shifted elsewhere.

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A tour of the facility on Tuesday lays bare the consequences. The compound greets you first with neglect: overgrown grass sways in the wind, brushing against crumbling walls and broken pathways.

Thorny bushes creep dangerously close to the buildings, reclaiming space once carefully maintained. In this region, where snakes are a common and feared presence, every step through the compound feels uncertain.

The buildings themselves seem to sag under the weight of neglect. Inside, the air is heavy, thick with dust and the faint smell of decay.

In the theatre, admission wards, outpatient wing, and laboratory, ceilings have been chewed through by termites, leaving jagged openings and fragile panels that threaten to give way at any moment.

The floors crunch underfoot, coated in layers of dirt. Walls, once painted in clean, reassuring tones, are now stained and peeling. Sinks meant to uphold hygiene are discoloured and dry, a stark reminder of a water system that no longer functions as it should.

In the admission wards, the human cost of this decay becomes painfully clear. Metal bed frames creak under the weight of worn-out mattresses, their surfaces thin and tired from years of use. Some are sunken in the middle, offering little comfort to patients already battling illness.

And yet, despite it all, the facility has not been entirely abandoned. Healthcare workers still report for duty, moving through the broken spaces with quiet determination, attending to patients—however few—and doing what they can within the limits imposed on them.

Their presence is a testament to resilience, but also a silent indictment of a system that has failed to support them.

From the outside looking in, Kimalel Health Centre tells a story that is both local and universal—a story of promise, neglect, and the slow erosion of public trust.

What was once a centre of excellence in the fight against kala-azar now struggles to provide even basic care. The crumbling infrastructure, perforated ceilings, failing water systems, and worn-out bedding are not just signs of age; they are evidence of years of systemic neglect that have turned a once-vibrant institution into a hazard for the very people it was built to serve.

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Mr Joel Chebolei, a resident, says the community has raised concerns for years, pleading with the county government to restore the facility without success.

“This facility was constructed by the retired late President Daniel Moi in the late 1980s to assist us but sadly, due to mismanagement, it is in ruins. This used to be a very good health center, not only serving Kalaazar patients from Baringo but the entire North Rift. The admission wards are in a very bad state now and hanging ceilings that almost fall off posing a risk to patients,” said Mr Chebolei.

“Patients who are admitted here cannot sleep well because of the worn out beds and torn dusty mattresses. Snakes sometimes creep into the facility. There used to be a very good theatre here but we do not know where the equipment was moved to and why. This is a very big facility that should even be serving as a Sub-County hospital but due to mismanagement, it is almost on the verge of closure,” he added.

In the facility’s board member, Mr Solomon Kulei, echoed these concerns, pointing to leaking roofs and exposed wooden frames now being devoured by termites after ceiling panels collapsed.

“We have sought assistance from the devolved unit to renovate this facility but they have delayed. We had a very good theater in the past but it is now dysfunctional after the equipment was carted away,” said Mr Kulei.

The head of the facility, Mr Silvano Kibet, said he was posted to the health centre two years ago when it was already in a dire state, with little left to salvage.

It was this grim reality that greeted members of the Senate Health Committee during their visit on Tuesday, as they assessed healthcare facilities across Baringo County.

Led by chairperson—Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, alongside Senators Richard Onyonka (Kisii) and Vincent Chemitei (Baringo), the team encountered firsthand the conditions patients endure.

“How I wish Governor Benjamin Cheboi, his executive and the county assembly can come and look at this facility. This is so embarrassing and depressing. As a Kenyan, I am shocked that such things still exist in our country. A beautiful health center that is on the brink of closure due to neglect,” said Senator Onyonka.

The facility’s board member, Mr Solomon Kulei, echoed these concerns, pointing to leaking roofs and exposed wooden frames now being devoured by termites after ceiling panels collapsed.

“We have sought assistance from the devolved unit to renovate this facility but they have delayed. We had a very good theater in the past but it is now dysfunctional after the equipment was carted away,” said Mr Kulei.

The head of the facility, Mr Silvano Kibet, said he was posted to the health centre two years ago when it was already in a dire state, with little left to salvage.

It was this grim reality that greeted members of the Senate Health Committee during their visit on Tuesday, as they assessed healthcare facilities across Baringo County.

Led by chairperson—Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, alongside Senators Richard Onyonka (Kisii) and Vincent Chemitei (Baringo), the team encountered firsthand the conditions patients endure.

“How I wish Governor Benjamin Cheboi, his executive and the county assembly can come and look at this facility. This is so embarrassing and depressing. As a Kenyan, I am shocked that such things still exist in our country. A beautiful health center that is on the brink of closure due to neglect,” said Senator Onyonka.

He raised concerns that such facilities could collapse due to mismanagement of public resources and corruption.

“It’s really unbelievable because the staff who was taking us around even claimed that sometimes snakes fall from the exposed roofs. It is a sad state of affairs here that needs thorough interrogation,” he added.

Senator Chemitei said they were confronted by an appalling level of deterioration at the facility, from crumbling infrastructure and perforated ceilings to worn-out bedding and dysfunctional water systems.

“The facility reflects years of systemic neglect by the county government. This state of affairs is both unacceptable and hazardous to public health, and it calls for immediate accountability and decisive remedial action,” he noted.

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Senator Mandago also expressed disbelief at the extent of neglect.

Addressing the Baringo County Assembly later, he did not hide his embarrassment.

“You can imagine how embarrassed I was that we can have such a facility left there rotting, but of great concern is how the county government themselves vandalized the equipment that was in that hospital. We are even told that there was a vehicle that was there but disappeared. It is completely embarrassing,” noted the Senate Health Committee chair.

Senator Onyonka reiterated his concerns over the deteriorating state of the once-thriving institution.

“When I went to the health center, my heart was broken. The late president Moi built that facility just like other eight hospitals in the country but the leadership in this region let that facility rot and the roofs are collapsing. The staff are even saying sometimes snakes are falling from them,” said Senator Onyonka.

“We are not here to criticize the county assembly but you should do your oversight role because that hospital shocked all of us,” he added.

Baringo County Assembly Health Committee Chairman Nixon Lemlem noted that the facility was left out when the kala-azar programme was transferred to Chemolingot, adding that the theatre equipment was taken to the county’s referral hospital in Kabarnet.

“Efforts to recover this equipment and renovation of the facility by the devolved unit bore no fruits. The facility requires a complete overhaul, fencing, water supply, re-equipping and posting of more personnel to support the more than 15,000 people relying on the facility,” said Mr Lemlem.

He also cited poor management as the reason ailing the facility, claiming that the officer in charge should not wait until a ceiling falls. Yet, there is a Facility Improvement Fund (FIF) received quarterly.

“The problem of handwashing items that are not clean is not an accounting issue but a staff issue. Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) was at the facility but it was relocated by the previous regime to a different facility, and the ambulance was also returned. There is a big problem there and that facility must regain its lost glory,” noted Mr Lemlem.

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