BBC documentary exposes mistreatment of the elderly at PCEA Thogoto Care Home

In an exposé done by the BBC, two undercover journalists, who had their loved ones admitted into the facility, got employed inside the premise armed with hidden cameras and got to film the injustice served on the elderly.

The home is said to have been established by the Women's Guild of the local PCEA church but managed independently.

In one of the secretly-filmed videos, a resident was left unattended while eating food dumped on a table.

"If you don't get someone to feed you, and you're shaking, will you sleep hungry?" a resident said.

"Do you think she will be the first to die of hunger here? Many have died of hunger here. They deny them lunch, dinner because they don't have time to come and feed them," said another.

It was later discovered that much of the food donated to the facility is allegedly stolen by staff members and the same was witnessed by the undercover team where food was being loaded into a senior staff's vehicle.

A subsequent video showed another aged woman being caned for stepping out of the home care's compound. In the video, about three staff members were seen approaching the woman as one said "You were called and refused to come back" another said "now we have to cane you"

They grabbed the woman and grabbed her firmly as one staff member stood behind ready to swing the cane. The helpless woman tried to plead with the caregivers "Please forgive me" but the caregivers felt no sympathy and even one added, "hit her on her buttocks." 

They even admitted that they sometimes have to use force on the residents to make them operate within the set rules. 

"Sometimes you have to use force. Even carers who start as being polite end up being aggressive towards clients," said the staff members. 

One of the undercover journalists said that she could not bare witnessing the heartwrenching conditions the elderly were put through, noting that the premise warrants death to its residents. 

"I used to cry a lot, most of the time I used to go to the toilet, I would switch off my camera and cry," she said. 

"When you take your loved one there you are actually taking them to a mortuary waiting for them to die and take them to the morgue, that is how it is in there."

Another man, identified as Mwangi, was suffering from a skin condition and was complaining of how he was going through excruciating pain but was still denied medical attention.

"He was bleeding very badly and he gave money to Jane to take him to hospital, he was not taken to hospital and when he asked Jane, Jane was very angry with him and she even told him, 'your home is just around the corner and your people have given up on you do you think I will be able to help you?'" said one of the undercover journalists.

"He used to tell me we are waiting for death."

Jane Gaturu, the Care home manager, declined to comment on the matter claiming that the home strictly observes the rule of law and remains guided by the Christian principles upon which it was founded.

Gaturu dismissed the mistreatment allegations noting that the home takes good care of the residents and does not encourage any forms of wrongdoing on their clients.

"The home was a non-profit organisation run on a voluntary basis which depended entirely on donations from well-wishers. But that allegations they did not take care of residents who needed medical attention were lies and malice," she said as quoted by BBC.

"Residents who struggle to eat are given priority assistance and anyone seen carrying food away from the home should be dismissed. The home and the mamagement do not condone any form of brutality or the aggression towards the aged."

Mwangi eventually got medical attention with help from his family.