A section of Doctors at Nairobi Hospital has come out to distance itself from a group that sought President William Ruto’s intervention to sort the facility’s mess.
The Medical Advisory Committee, with a membership of about 730 consultants, has faulted a section of the admitting staff for bypassing established communication structures and presenting what it terms as misleading information to the hospital’s patrons, thus escalating tensions within the facility’s leadership and clinical ranks.
According to the committee chairperson, Dr Agnes Gachoki, the hospital operates through a structured system in which concerns are discussed at divisional levels before being escalated to the advisory committee for deliberation and eventual resolution through proper governance channels.
The chairperson explained that each medical speciality holds regular meetings, ensuring issues affecting doctors and patient care are addressed collectively before being forwarded to the central committee for structured discussion and coordinated decision-making across departments.
Nairobi Hospital Committee of Admitting Staff, led by Chairperson Dr. Agnes Gachoki, during a press briefing on March 19.
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Nairobi Hospital
“Each division has regular meetings where they discuss what’s on the board. So each of these divisions, therefore, brings their matters to the medical advisory committee, and we discuss those matters as the medical advisory committee, and then how the resolution mechanism is laid down,” stated Dr Gachoki.
However, the five doctors who met the patron, and are also members of the commitee allegedly ignored this internal framework, opting for direct engagement that the committee says undermined institutional processes and misrepresented the true situation within the hospital’s operations and governance systems.
“These 5 members of the admitting staff who went to see our patron did not follow the right proper channels laid out for communication externally, or even through the board, because this proper structure goes through the board,” added Dr Gachoki.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny over Nairobi Hospital’s leadership, with the government confirming that President Ruto had been briefed and had directed transparency in handling governance and financial concerns affecting the facility’s stability.
State House indicated that the president’s intervention followed numerous complaints from stakeholders, including doctors, patients, and members of the Kenya Hospital Association, who raised alarms over the hospital’s management and long-term operational sustainability.
Concerns raised to the presidency pointed to governance wrangles that risk affecting patient care, clinical oversight, and the institution’s ability to function effectively, prompting calls for urgent intervention to restore confidence in the hospital’s leadership.
The committee reaffirms that the doctors who met with the President provided misleading information that does not reflect the hospital’s current status.
The crisis escalated further after the arrest of several senior board members on March 14, including Chairman Dr. Job Obwaka, Vice Chairman Samson Kinyanjui, Former Chairman Dr. Chris Bichange, and Director Valery Gaya, who were later released on a bond of Ksh5 million each.
They were accused of multiple charges, including conflict of interest, withholding financial records for several years, and allegedly receiving unlawful benefits linked to an insurance agency contracted by the hospital.
Dr. Agnes further assured the public that, despite the disputes the hospital is facing, it is still fully operational, with 80 per cent of services still being offered.
An entrance to the Nairobi City Hospital
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