Are powerful forces fueling The Nairobi Hospital crisis?
Rumuor has it that there is a push by a tycoon with interests in the health sector to take control of the premier hospital
Is there more than meets the eye in the wrangles at The Nairobi Hospital? Even as the push and pull continues with the board of management obtaining orders barring the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the rumuor mill is rife with claims that powerful forces are behind the tussle for its control.
According to the grapevine, there is a push by a tycoon with interests in the health sector to take control of the premier hospital with the support of politically-connected individuals.
The directors are facing accusations of abuse of office, conspiracy to commit an economic crime and money laundering but it appears it is part of a wider scheme to push them out so as to install a friendly board that is ready to play ball to actualise their shifty plans.
The hospital is owned by the Kenya Hospital Association, which comprises of 230 members. Its assets are valued at Ksh 12 billion but it has been facing governance problems since 2020 when a group of “progressive members” first sought to oust the board of management.
So far, spirited attempts to make changes to both the board of management and the Medical Advisory Committee have been thwarted either by the courts or force.
In September last years, the Admitting Staff Association issued a strike notice as the wrangles persisted leading to a near-paralysis at one of the country’s oldest hospitals, which traces its legacy to 1902.
