Kakamega Catholic Bishop Joseph Obanyi has dismissed claims by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi that St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias received Sh82 million from the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking about the jurisdiction under which the mission hospital operates, the bishop described Mudavadi’s figures as misleading and politically motivated.
According to Bishop Obanyi, the Catholic Church–run facility has only received Ksh9 million over the past 10 months, far below the amount alleged by Mudavadi.
He said the institution is drowning in debt due to delayed payments from government health schemes, which forced it to shut down after 117 years of service.
“It’s a mission hospital that serves the poor. We cannot make politics out of the suffering of ordinary people,” the bishop said.
The hospital is owed Ksh180 million in unpaid claims, including Ksh143 million under SHA.
While SHA has processed Ksh 39 million, the bishop said the backlog continues to cripple operations, leaving more than 200 staff members jobless and hundreds of patients without care.
Accusations of Cheap Politics
The bishop accused Mudavadi of engaging in propaganda rather than helping to resolve the crisis. He insisted that the Church has been transparent in its management of the facility’s finances.
“If anybody must be believed, at least believe the Church. We have no other place where the money goes except to serve patients,” Bishop Obanyi stated.
Duale Promises Accountability at SHA
The row has intensified pressure on the Ministry of Health and the SHA, which replaced the defunct NHIF.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aiden Duale acknowledged challenges in the transition, saying cartels have turned the new scheme into a “cash cow.”
Also Read: St. Mary’s Hospital Mumias Shuts Down Despite Receiving Ksh 83M
“When you shift to a new house and start cleaning, there will be dust. What you are seeing is that dust, but in the end, the place will be clean,” Duale said, pledging reforms and accountability.
The standoff highlights growing scrutiny of SHA as hospitals continue to complain of delayed payments, raising questions about the sustainability of health financing reforms.
Mudavadi speaks on St. Mary’s Hospital Mumias Shuts Down
This comes after St. Mary’s Mission Hospital in Mumias, Kakamega County, closed its doors after 117 years of service, despite assertions that it received Ksh83 million in SHA payments, citing unpaid dues and financial strain.
The shutdown has left an estimated 300 patients who sought daily care without a facility to turn to and rendered more than 200 staff members jobless.
Also Read: Ruto Orders Hospitals Shut Down Over SHA Fraud to Refund Money
The management claimed it was owed more than Ksh180 million, a shortfall that crippled its ability to continue operations.
Speaking in Malava constituency during a burial ceremony, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi commented on the case of St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias, which he said claimed Ksh117 million under the SHA program and had already received Ksh82 million.
He dismissed allegations that the Ministry of Health was responsible for the facility’s financial troubles, saying records showed payments had been disbursed.
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