Human rights organization Kituo Cha Sheria has filed a petition at the High Court seeking urgent intervention to restore medical services for prison inmates, after reports that a Nairobi public hospital suspended treatment due to unpaid bills.

In the court documents, the group says inmates across the country have been unable to access essential healthcare since August 4, 2025, when Mbagathi County Referral Hospital allegedly stopped attending to prisoners from the Kenya Prisons Service over an outstanding debt of about Ksh12 million.

Through its Executive Director, Dr. Wambua Kituku, Kituo Cha Sheria argues that the suspension has left many inmates—some living with chronic and life-threatening conditions—at serious risk of deteriorating health, unnecessary suffering, and even death.

The case, filed under a certificate of urgency, seeks temporary orders compelling the Ministry of Health and Mbagathi Hospital to immediately resume admitting and treating prisoners, regardless of the financial dispute between state agencies.

Additionally, the organization wants the government, through the State Law Office, the Ministry of Health, and the Kenya Prisons Service, to guarantee uninterrupted access to healthcare for inmates, either at Mbagathi or other designated public facilities.

Kituo Cha Sheria contends that denying prisoners medical treatment violates several constitutional rights, including the right to health under Article 43, the right to dignity under Article 28, and protection from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under Article 29.

The petition stresses that inmates, being in state custody, are fully dependent on the government for medical services and cannot seek care independently.

The organization warns that unless the court intervenes swiftly, the ongoing denial of treatment could result in irreparable harm and preventable deaths among prisoners.