The government has defended its involvement in leadership and governance wrangles at Nairobi Hospital, saying President William Ruto, as the hospital’s patron, had intervened to calm tensions.
In a statement on March 16, 2026, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said President Ruto has received numerous written memoranda and representations over the past several months from stakeholders of the Kenya Hospital Association.
These include doctors affiliated with Nairobi Hospital, members of the Association, and patients currently receiving care at the facility.
They sought support in addressing governance, financial, and operational challenges affecting the hospital.
“These appeals raised serious concerns about the potential impact of longstanding governance and financial challenges on patient care, clinical governance, and the hospital's operational stability,” Hussein said.
The statement outlined key issues raised by stakeholders, including disputes over KHA membership, Board elections, and Annual General Meetings, conflicts of interest and allegations of mismanagement, leadership challenges and internal wrangles, ineffective dispute resolution, and mounting litigation
Hussein added that institutional processes had already been initiated to resolve the challenges, including multiple consultative meetings convened by the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, which led to the reconstitution of the Board of Management and agreement on a Five-Point Reform Agenda.
This agenda covers verification of the KHA membership register, withdrawal of proxy litigation, strengthening governance instruments, appointment of an independent audit firm, and preparation for a credible Annual General Meeting.
Following petitions from stakeholders, the Attorney General also invoked Section 800 of the Companies Act to appoint inspectors who investigated the KHA, supported by a multi-agency team including the Business Registration Service, Asset Recovery Agency, Kenya Revenue Authority, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, National Intelligence Service, and Financial Reporting Centre.
The report was submitted to the Attorney General on March 6, 2026, and relevant agencies have since been directed to take action as per the law.
The statement concluded that President Ruto continues to engage with senior doctors and patients at the hospital, stressing the urgency of restoring stability.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting lawful, transparent, and sustainable processes to safeguard patients, staff, and the long-term future of Nairobi Hospital.
It comes as Nairobi Hospital assured the public that services will continue despite the ongoing turmoil.
In a statement issued on March 16, 2026, Nairobi Hospital said it remains stable, fully operational, and open to the public as usual.
"Our clinical and support teams continue to deliver services across all departments, and we remain fully committed to providing quality healthcare to our patients and the wider community," said the hospital.
Nairobi Hospital added that it would not comment on the ongoing governance dispute in court, citing the sub judice principle
"The Hospital is aware of matters currently before the courts concerning governance issues. These matters are part of an ongoing judicial process and are therefore sub judice. Accordingly, it would be inappropriate for the Hospital to comment further on them at this time," it said.
On Monday, a court in Nairobi released embattled Chairperson of the Nairobi Hospital Board, Job Obwaka, and three other directors on a Sh5 million bond each over charges including alleged conflict-of- interest, unlawful receipt of benefits, and failure to comply with financial reporting requirements.
The pre-trial for the case has been set for March 31, 2026.
