The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Thogoto care home for the elderly in Kiambu County has been exposed for mistreating and neglecting the residents.

PHOTO | COURTESY an elderly  being beaten

In a BBC exposé, two undercover journalists who had their loved ones admitted to the facility were hired inside the institution armed with hidden cameras and witnessed the injustice done to the elderly.


The home is claimed to have been formed by the local PCEA church's Women's Guild but administered independently.

A resident was left unattended while eating food dumped on a table in a secretly recorded recording.

It was then determined that much of the food provided to the facility is reportedly stolen by staff members, and the undercover team witnessed this when food was being loaded into a senior staff member's vehicle.

PHOTO | COURTESY thogoto elderly home

A later video showed another elderly woman getting caned for leaving the home care area. Three staff employees were seen approaching the woman in the footage, with one saying they had to cain her since she refused to return.

They gripped the woman firmly while one of the staff members stepped behind, ready to swing the cane. The defenceless woman begged the caregivers to forgive her, but they caned her.

They also stated that they needed to use force on the inhabitants to get them to follow the regulations. 

PHOTO | COURTESY thogoto compound

One of the undercover journalists expressed her inability to bear watching the heartbreaking conditions the elderly were subjected to, stating that the premise deserved death for its residents.

Another man, Mwangi, suffered from a skin problem and complained of unbearable pain, yet he was still denied medical treatment.

Jane Gaturu, the care home manager, declined to comment, citing that the facility firmly adheres to the rule of law and is guided by the Christian beliefs it was built on.

Gaturu denied the charges of mistreatment, stating that the facility takes good care of its patients and does not encourage any misconduct in its clients.