The video begins with images that are difficult to forget. A man lies exposed on what appears to be a makeshift operating table.
His abdomen has been opened. Loops of intestine are visible. Around him, there is no sign of the sterile environment one would expect in a modern operating theatre.
No sophisticated monitoring equipment. No intensive care support.
No visible surgical team moving with the coordinated precision that major abdominal surgery demands.
Instead, according to relatives and accounts that have since sparked a national outcry, Brian Simiyu was allegedly undergoing an exploratory laparotomy, commonly known among doctors as an “X-lap“, in a small private clinic in Trans Nzoia County.
Days later, he would be dead.
The case has ignited fury across Kenya, triggered investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and prompted some of the country’s most senior medical professionals to publicly question how such a procedure could have been allowed to happen.
According to accounts from Brian’s sisters, the ordeal began when he sought treatment after developing severe abdominal pain.
He reportedly went to the privately operated clinic accompanied by family members, expecting assessment and treatment.
What happened next, they say, left them traumatised.
Upasuaji hatari Kitale
Polisi mjini Kitale wanachunguza kifo cha mgonjwa.
Daktari atuhumiwa kumfanyia upasuaji mgonjwa vibaya.#SemaNaCitizen pic.twitter.com/EKOIhtqwIg
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) May 29, 2026
Lydia Sizei recalls leaving her brother speaking with the doctor, only to return and find that surgery had already begun.
More startlingly, she alleges Brian’s hands had been tied to a window during the procedure.
The family further claims the facility lacked critical surgical infrastructure, including oxygen support, intensive care capabilities, and other emergency equipment. Those claims remain part of ongoing investigations.
The sisters say they initially believed Brian was undergoing diagnostic imaging because of the time that had elapsed.
Anaesthetised
Instead, they were told he had already been anaesthetised.
According to their account, the doctor later suggested the anaesthesia may not have been fully effective because Brian Simiyu was allegedly a heavy alcohol user.
For experienced surgeons, that explanation raises immediate concerns.
An exploratory laparotomy is a major procedure. It is one of the most serious emergency operations performed in surgery.
The operation involves opening the abdominal cavity to identify life-threatening conditions, such as bowel perforation, internal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, or severe infection.
Such procedures are typically carried out in fully equipped operating theatres that maintain sterile environments.
It’s with a heavy heart that I come to say that the person who operated on that gentleman in Transnzoia is a medical doctor. I initially could not imagine that a trained medic could even do that,leave alone a medical doctor. After my investigations,I believe that either the…
— Daktari ya Wanawake (@MiskellahMD) May 30, 2026
They involve trained anaesthetists and surgical nurses, as well as monitoring systems, oxygen supplies, and blood products. Furthermore, these facilities have the capacity to transfer a patient to intensive care should any complications arise.
In the videos circulating online, however, many medical professionals say they saw something profoundly different.
The footage shows exposed abdominal organs being manipulated in surroundings that appear inconsistent with accepted surgical standards.
The images are so graphic that many Kenyan media houses have either blurred them heavily or declined to broadcast them in full.
Brian’s sisters say they watched in horror as the doctor handled portions of their brother’s intestines using cloth material.
“It is so traumatising,” Juliet Nyongesa said in an interview with Citizen TV.
“How do you take someone, without doing a proper diagnosis, and just open them up in the name of surgery?”
As the videos spread across Facebook, X and WhatsApp, outrage exploded.
Doctors, nurses and ordinary Kenyans reacted with disbelief.
The Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK), the country’s leading association of surgeons, issued an unusually strong statement after reviewing the footage.
The society described the conditions shown in the video as unprofessional and unsanitary.
It said the procedure appeared not to adhere even to basic infection-prevention protocols, let alone the standards required for a major surgical operation.
The organisation further emphasised that surgical procedures should only be performed by practitioners who are appropriately trained and operating within licensed and accredited facilities.
KMPDU Speaks
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) was equally blunt.
National Deputy Secretary-General Dr Idan Miskellah said he was initially unable to believe a trained doctor could be responsible.
After conducting his own enquiries, he called for investigations and demanded strong action if wrongdoing was established.
Online, the reaction was even harsher.
Some doctors described the footage as unlike anything they had encountered in their careers.
Others warned Kenyans against seeking treatment in poorly equipped facilities masquerading as hospitals.
Medical commentators noted that an exploratory laparotomy typically requires a multidisciplinary team that includes a surgeon, anaesthesia personnel, theatre nurses, technologists and postoperative critical-care support.
Condition Deteriorated
Meanwhile, Brian’s condition deteriorated.
According to his family, he was eventually transferred to a hospital in Eldoret and admitted to intensive care. By then, they say, severe infection had taken hold.
The family has reported that Brian ultimately succumbed to multiple organ failure resulting from septic shock, a severe condition in which an infection initiates a series of inflammatory responses that can lead to the failure of the kidneys, lungs, liver, and heart.
For the Simiyu family, the loss is compounded by haunting memories.
The videos remain a permanent record of their brother’s final days.
Investigators have since summoned family members to record statements, and police have indicated that charges, including possible manslaughter, could be considered if criminal culpability is established.
Beyond the investigation lies a larger question.
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How did a Kenyan patient allegedly end up undergoing one of medicine’s most complex emergency procedures in conditions that experts say should never have existed?
The answer may determine whether Brian Simiyu’s death becomes another forgotten tragedy or a turning point in the country’s long-running struggle against unsafe and unregulated medical practice.
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