President William Ruto has broken his silence on the ongoing governance, financial, and operational challenges affecting the Kenya Hospital Association, which owns and manages the Nairobi Hospital.
In a statement on March 16, 2026, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said the government had received several memoranda from stakeholders, including doctors affiliated with the hospital, members of the association, and patients currently receiving care at the facility.
According to the statement, the appeals sought support in addressing governance disputes and operational challenges that could affect patient care and the stability of the institution.
“Over the past several months, President William Ruto has received written memoranda and representations from stakeholders of the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), including doctors affiliated with Nairobi Hospital, members of the Association, and patients currently receiving care at the facility, seeking support in addressing governance, financial and operational challenges affecting the hospital,” the statement read.
Governance Disputes and Leadership Challenges
The government has stated that stakeholders had highlighted several disputes affecting the management of the association and the hospital.
These included disagreements over membership of the Kenya Hospital Association, board elections and Annual General Meetings, allegations of conflicts of interest and mismanagement.
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Issues surrounding governance at the hospital have previously attracted legal attentionand earlier this year, the High Court temporarily stopped the planned Annual General Meeting of the Kenya Hospital Association following petitions citing governance and financial concerns within the institution.
“In particular, stakeholders expressed concern about disputes relating to membership, board elections and subsequent Annual General Meetings, conflicts of interest and allegations of mismanagement, leadership challenges and internal wrangles, and ineffective dispute resolution and mounting litigation,” the statement read.
Government Engagement and Reform Process
The statement noted that several institutional processes had already been initiated to address the governance challenges within the Association.
Over the past year, Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei convened a series of consultative meetings bringing together members of the hospital’s board, doctors, and other stakeholders.
According to the government, the consultations led to the reconstitution of the Board of Management through a process agreed upon by the concerned parties, allowing stakeholders to nominate representatives to reflect the interests within the association.
Stakeholders also agreed on a five-point reform agenda intended to guide institutional reforms ahead of a planned Annual General Meeting.
The reforms include verification and clean-up of the association’s membership register, withdrawal of proxy litigation suits to allow normal hospital operations, strengthening governance instruments and internal dispute resolution mechanisms, appointing an independent firm to conduct a forensic audit into financial concerns raised by stakeholders, and preparing for a credible and transparent AGM.
Multi-Agency Investigation into the Association
The government further disclosed that the Attorney General invoked Section 800 of the Companies Act to appoint inspectors to investigate the affairs of the Kenya Hospital Association following petitions from concerned members and medical practitioners.
A multi-agency team comprising representatives from the Business Registration Service, the Asset Recovery Agency, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the National Intelligence Service, and the Financial Reporting Centre conducted the investigation.
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According to the statement, the team submitted its report to the Attorney General on March 6, 2026, after which directions were issued to relevant agencies for further action in accordance with the law.
Senior Doctors Seek Presidential Intervention Over Nairobi Hospital
Senior medical consultants at Nairobi Hospital have defended their decision to seek presidential intervention in the ongoing governance crisis at the facility.
In a statement dated March 16, 2026, the doctors stated they acted after repeated attempts to resolve leadership disputes internally failed.
They described the hospital as a national institution that sits on public land granted by the government under a trust to provide healthcare to Kenyans.
They added that the hospital has played a significant role in Kenya’s healthcare system for more than 70 years, serving both local patients and those from across East Africa.
Doctors explained that because the President Ruto is the patron of the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), the body that owns Nairobi Hospital, they felt compelled to seek his intervention.
The doctors have also defended the arrest and detention of the five menbers citing that the move is not politically motivated, dismissing that Job Obwoka is a board member.
“We are concerned, however, that the arrest of Dr. Job Obwaka may be a case where the net cast has caught an innocent person. Dr. Obwaka is not a current member of the Board of Directors, and he was not a member of the Board at the time of manipulation of the register of members. He should be exonerated,” read part of the statement.
