Concerns over privacy in Kenyan hospitals have intensified after a medical association criticised the increasing habit of filming patients and broadcasting hospital scenes online.
The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has warned that such actions are disrespectful to patients and interfere with the primary role of healthcare facilities, which is treatment and recovery.
In its statement released on May 8, 2026, and signed by Secretary-General Lyndah Kemunto, KMA said recording patients without their consent violates both ethical standards and legal protections.
“Patients are not props, hospital wards are not campaign venues, and human suffering is not content,” the statement read.
The association’s remarks follow public attention around a visit to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital involving Calvince Gaucho, where he reportedly conducted a live broadcast on TikTok inside the facility.
Videos shared online showed active hospital areas, including corridors, patients receiving care, a mother with a newborn baby, and other patients in beds. The incident triggered discussion on patient confidentiality and conduct in public health institutions.
KMA called on politicians, influencers, and content creators to stop filming in restricted hospital areas such as wards and treatment spaces.
It further directed hospital management teams to ensure strict rules are in place to prevent unauthorised recording and to confirm that consent is obtained before any patient images are taken.
The association referenced constitutional protections under Articles 28 and 31, alongside the Data Protection Act 2019, which classifies health records as sensitive information. It also cited the Health Act 2017, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council Code of Conduct, and the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Geneva.
KMA has urged the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to look into reported incidents and strengthen enforcement. It also wants national and county authorities to introduce clear rules that ban unauthorised filming in hospitals.