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Nairobi MCA wants private hospitals stopped from charging parking fees


Nairobi Nominated Member of the County Assembly, Anne Thumbi, has moved a motion to stop private hospitals from charging parking fees on their visitors.

In a motion presented before the County Assembly on Wednesday, Ms Thumbi noted that the number of private hospitals have increased in the city and have well developed parking lots which patients and visitors are charged parking fee.

According to the nominated MCA, the objective of the proposal is to avoid any other expenses incurred by patients or a family member while visiting the hospitals.

“This Assembly urges the County Executive to develop a policy to regulate parking charges by private hospitals in the county to avert exploitation by owners of premises through high parking fees when patients and the general public visit such premises for services,” said Thumbi.

PARKING FEES

She added that the hospital bill was already huge and parking fees should not be one of the worry patients and family members have to think about.

Citing Article 186 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, the MCA notes that the Constitution provides powers to the County Government to govern parking.

“… Concerned that there are no regulations to private parking in the County which has resulted to exorbitant parking fees in some private hospitals in the county causing stressful situation to patients or visitors who visit a suffering family member,” reads part of the motion.

While the motion acknowledges that private hospitals could be imposing the parking fees to deter mischievous motorists who visit the facilities for the simple purpose of parking their vehicles and proceeding to other businesses, the motion wants a policy developed to regulate the parking charges.