NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 3 — Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has paid hospital bills amounting to Sh1.6 million to secure the release of more than 100 mothers detained at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital’s maternity ward over unpaid fees.The women — some with newborns just days old — had reportedly been stranded for weeks, unable to leave the facility after giving birth because they could not afford to settle their bills.Sonko said he decided to intervene after watching a televised report highlighting the plight of the mothers.“I saw the story on TV about mothers being detained for unpaid bills,” he recounted.“Later, a doctor called me — his name is Mbole — and asked if I could intervene. I gave it two days to see if the situation would be resolved, but when I checked again, nothing had changed. So, I came personally to help.”Arriving unannounced at around 3am on Sunday, Sonko entered the overcrowded maternity ward, where he found women lying two to a bed — some cradling their infants in thin sheets, waiting helplessly for assistance.He asked each woman to list her pending bill — which ranged from Sh5,000 to over Sh100,000 — before depositing Sh1.6 million directly into the hospital’s Equity Bank account on Monday.“Many of these women didn’t have National Health Insurance (SHA) cards,” Sonko explained. “Unfortunately, you can’t get covered retroactively — you must be registered before delivery. I wanted to help them because no mother should suffer or be detained after bringing life into the world.”City Hall faulted The former governor faulted both Mama Lucy Hospital and the Nairobi County Government, saying they should have helped expectant mothers register for SHA coverage earlier.“It’s true there are no free services in hospitals, but we all understand the tough economic times we’re in. The County should have established a desk to make SHA registration mandatory before admission — unless one pays cash. That would have prevented cases like this,” he said.Women’s rights groups and community activists had for days held demonstrations outside the hospital, demanding the County Government’s intervention and the release of detained mothers.“The situation had become unbearable,” said one activist. “Some mothers were even sharing beds with their babies. We had been pleading for help, and finally, Sonko answered that call.”Sonko also arranged transport and shopping for the mothers, providing four minibuses to ferry them home before noon on Monday.