A growing number of Kenyan parents say their children, who had been approved for life-changing cochlear implant surgeries under a hearing restoration initiative spearheaded by First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto, have been quietly dropped from the latest lists at Kenyatta National Hospital.
The parents, who spent months undergoing screening, hospital visits, and medical tests, now fear that their children may lose the chance to hear and speak normally if the surgeries are not carried out soon.
Many of them had received confirmation letters indicating their children would undergo the delicate operations between October 23 and 31, under a joint initiative between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Health, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco.
For one Nairobi family, this moment was supposed to mark the end of a long and exhausting journey.
Their four-year-old daughter, diagnosed with profound hearing loss, had been approved for the procedure after a year of consultations at the Kenya School of ENT, three Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) tests, and several imaging scans at Aga Khan Hospital.
“We did everything required, MRI, CT scans, meningitis injection, and blood tests, and were told she would get her implant between October 23 and 31,” the mother said.
“But after Raila Odinga’s death, the surgeries were postponed. When new lists came out at Kenyatta National Hospital, our daughter’s name was gone. No call. No explanation.”
Her daughter is now 4 years and 8 months old, just three months shy of the age limit for effective implantation. According to specialists, cochlear surgery yields the best outcomes when performed before age five, as the brain’s language centers are still highly adaptive.
“We have followed every instruction for almost a year. Now the surgery window is closing and our child is being forgotten,” she added. “If we miss this chance, she may never speak or hear properly.”
Parents in similar situations have taken to social media, pleading with Mama Rachel and the Ministry of Health for intervention.
Some have posted photos of their children’s medical documents, calling for transparency in how the final lists were compiled.
They say that while new beneficiaries are being processed, those already cleared appear to have been sidelined without communication.
The cochlear implant initiative was launched earlier this year as part of the First Lady’s Hearing Restoration Program, supported by Morocco’s Princess Lalla Asma through the donation of devices worth over Ksh 120 million.
The project targets children and adults with profound hearing loss who cannot afford the high cost of implants, which can exceed Ksh 3 million per patient.
On Friday, Mama Rachel presided over the official handover of the devices at State House, Nairobi, where she expressed gratitude to the Moroccan royal family and reaffirmed her office’s commitment to expanding access to specialized healthcare.
“On behalf of the people of Kenya and His Excellency President William Ruto, I wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco for this generous donation,” she said during the ceremony.
She also thanked the Ministry of Health for its role in coordinating surgeries and rehabilitation support, calling the initiative “a bridge to a world of sound and connection” for children who have lived in silence.
But even as the ceremony took place, some parents were battling uncertainty over whether their children were still among the approved candidates.
Several say that repeated visits to Kenyatta National Hospital yielded little information.
Others claim that hospital staff had informed them that their names might be considered in a future phase.
The programme’s temporary suspension during the mourning period for the late Raila Odinga also contributed to confusion, as parents were not updated on revised timelines.
Medical experts warn that prolonged delays could harm outcomes for children nearing the five-year mark.
“Once auditory development slows, even a successful implant cannot reverse the missed linguistic foundation,” said an audiologist who spoke to us under the request of anonymity.
As the debate grows, affected parents are urging the First Lady’s office and the Ministry of Health to review the latest lists and honour the earlier approvals.
