The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) issued a notice to the public on December 4, that it was implementing the use of government Pay bill number 222 222 for all payments.
According to the hospital, the previous pay bills in the Hospitals were deactivated on Tuesday, December 5, and the new system implemented.
Additionally, the hospital noted that the move would take effect in all its annex facilities.
“To this end, it is mandatory that all services within the Hospital and its annex facilities (Mwai Kibaki Hospital and Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital) are billed through the above pay bill.
“You are required to communicate to all staff under your purview and provide support as may be required,” the notice read in part.
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Reactions to the KNH Notice
However, the move has elicited different reactions from Kenyans, some questioning the integrity of stakeholders in the government manning the payment system.
According to Communications Strategist and Jubilee Party official Pauline Njoroge, the payment system could be used as a gateway to corruption.
Further, she stated that KNH ought to be considered an independent entity when it came to such regulations to ensure that its revenue was well tracked.
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“How will they know which company is performing and which is not? How will they sort out the revenue per institution? An institution like KNH is supposed to be treated like a separate cost center to know the health of its books and bottom line.
“How will its management track its revenue in that Pay bill? Isn’t this a way of making stealing easier since the money is being handled from a singular platform?” she questioned.
At the same time, X user Osuga agreed with Njoroge adding that the institution may require funds for operations and the pay bill method could pose a challenge.
“It’s very Suspicious, that the pay bill is one for all government services. Such an institution like KNH needs a constant supply of funds and I’m sure getting money once it’s dropped into the government pay bill will be really hard and cumbersome. This may cripple them,” he stated.
Others Support Ruto’s Pay Bill
However, other Kenyans noted that the payment system will be efficient in promoting accountability, and that each institution will still retain its individuality by using different account numbers.
“This is for audit reasons, when using pay bill, you are asked account number and that’s where KNH bank account come in change is as good as rest accept it,” a user noted.
While issuing the directive to have all state agencies use the same pay bill number, President William Ruto noted that the government had gone digital, and all agencies ought to comply.
“From today all government agencies should use the government Pay bill manned by the National Treasury. All other Pay bills will be shut down and if there is one operating after today! Let me not say beyond that,” Ruto stated.
