Mbeere North MP Leo Wa Muthende has broken his silence on the troubled oxygen plant at Kenyatta National Hospital, offering a detailed account of what he says led to its failure and pushing back against claims of a Sh600 million scandal surrounding the project.
Speaking on Tuesday on Radio Generation after days of mounting scrutiny, Wamuthende defended the original plan, saying the oxygen plant was meant to cut the hospital’s dependence on costly external supplies by producing medical oxygen on-site and piping it directly to patients.
He said the project was completed and operational in 2024, insisting that hospital records would show a sharp drop in oxygen purchases during that period.
“An oxygen plant is meant to extract oxygen from air and supply it directly to patients instead of buying it every month,” he said.
According to the MP, the idea was to shift from a system where oxygen is treated as a recurring expense to one where the hospital generates its own supply, reducing costs and improving efficiency. He added that the project also included improvements to internal piping to reduce leakages and ensure purity.
He, however, claimed the project ran into trouble after routine servicing in July, when the plant began experiencing mechanical issues affecting oxygen flow and quality. The situation puzzled both local engineers and the manufacturer, who sent a team to investigate but initially could not identify the problem.
“It baffled even the manufacturer because this is a brand new plant,” he said.
Wamuthende attributed the failure to suspected sabotage during the servicing process, alleging that a key sensor meant to prevent moisture from entering the system had been disconnected. This, he said, interfered with the plant’s internal processes and led to the breakdown.
“What did someone do during service? I don’t know how much they were paid, but they disconnected the sensor that prevents moisture,” he said.
He explained that the issue was only discovered after a detailed inspection by an engineer who recommended dismantling parts of the system. The team then found multiple disconnections across several generators within the plant.
“That was the problem,” he said.
The MP suggested that resistance to the project may have been driven by vested interests benefiting from the continued purchase of oxygen.
“We did not envision that people who make money from monthly oxygen supply would resist the plant,” he said.
His remarks come amid concerns raised by the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, which recently flagged the plant as non-functional during a visit to the hospital. The committee warned that the failure has forced the facility to continue spending heavily on external oxygen supplies, even as demand remains high.
Despite the controversy, Wamuthende maintained that the project followed due process, noting that it had been cleared by procurement authorities and reviewed by oversight bodies. He also pointed to a recommendation by the parliamentary health committee that the hospital board step aside from matters related to the plant, with the ministry expected to take over management.
Looking ahead, he expressed confidence that the plant can be restored, saying the manufacturer has the capacity to revive it.
“We are pushing to get an opportunity to revive that plant and put people to shame,” he said.
He insisted the plant had worked before the breakdown and urged Kenyans to review procurement data from 2024, which he said would show reduced oxygen purchases due to the facility’s output.
“It worked, and the records are there,” he said.
