Grace Mulei, the woman who stormed the Ministry of Health headquarters on January 15, 2025, to voice her complaints about delays in the processing of Social Health Authority (SHA) services, has shared a distressing account of the physical and psychological trauma she has experienced following her arrest on January 23, 2025.
In an interview with a local media station, Mulei described the profound impact of her detention detailing a series of health challenges and psychological trauma that have emerged in the arrest’s wake.
“It was a scary experience, something I would not want to keep dwelling upon,” she said.
Mulei explicitly highlighted her current medical concerns, noting that she is experiencing chest pains severe enough to require immediate cardiological consultation. She is currently taking sleeping tablets to manage her heightened anxiety and psychological distress.
“Right now I’m having chest pains, I’m having panic attacks, I’m taking sleeping tablets and I need to see my cardiologist because my chest pain has come back,” Mulei said.
Beyond her medical issues, Mulei expressed deep fear and vulnerability, stating that she no longer feels safe even in her own home.
“It is a horrifying experience because you’re intimidated, and harassed, you are manhandled, and you don’t know what to expect. Even when you’re in the house you’re scared somebody might storm in because the police told me they know where I stay,” she said.
Mulei noted that the incident has significantly affected her and her family, describing an ongoing sense of intimidation that has fundamentally altered her sense of personal security.
“I’m not comfortable being alone. I am being escorted everywhere I go, and I do not feel safe. My family is even more frightened than I am. I’ve been banned from leaving the house; they say even going out to buy vegetables isn’t safe because the police told me they know where I am staying,” Grace explained.
Grace’s arrest
The 61-year-old woman was taken into custody on the evening of January 23, 2025, while seeking treatment at Landnan Hospital in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
She was released the following day, January 24, 2025, on a cash bail of Ksh10,000 after a significant public outcry over her arrest.
Speaking to the media shortly after her release, Mulei recounted that before her arrest, she recognized a security officer she had seen at another hospital.
She approached him, asking if he was following her, but the officer claimed he was attending to a patient.
A few minutes later, however, a female police officer and the previously mentioned officer approached her and informed her that they needed to take her somewhere.
Mulei stated that the officers did not clarify the reason for her arrest. In a statement released on January 23, 2025, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed the arrest, stating it was due to her causing a disturbance.
“A suspect has been arrested following reports of a disturbance at the Ministry of Health Boardroom at the Capital Hill Police Station. The suspect, Grace Njoki Mulei, was tracked down to Hombe Road, off Juja Road, and successfully apprehended. She has been taken to Capital Hill Police Station, where she will remain in custody until her court appearance scheduled for tomorrow,” the DCI stated.
Charges to be withdrawn
During a Members of Parliament retreat in Naivasha on Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health’s Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai announced that charges against Grace Mulei would be withdrawn.
Kimtai, who was questioned by MPs, admitted that the Health Ministry was the complainant in the case that led to Mulei’s arrest and vowed to have the complaint withdrawn.
“In the interest of the Ministry of Health’s image and the public, the Ministry will withdraw the complaint,” PS Kimtai assured the lawmakers.
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