Nairobi Hospital says services intact, dismisses claims of missing billions

According to a press briefing on Thursday, Board chair Dr Barcley Onyambu, CEO Felix Osano and hospital officials said the facility is stable and fully operational, and that patient care has not been disrupted.

“We want to set the record straight,” said Phillip Kisia, the hospital’s director, company secretary and vice-chair of the board of trustees.

Kisia also condemned what he described as the manner in which some directors were incarcerated, saying it happened despite a court order.

Osano said the hospital posted Ksh12.8 billion in revenue in 2024 and that monthly revenue has been averaging about Ksh1 billion.

He said liquidity is improving, citing a reduction in supplier backlog by Ksh230 million since January 2025, and added that there are no outstanding staff dues.

The CEO said the hospital is owed about Ksh2.4 billion by various entities, including public schemes, and that admissions are up by over 5%.

He put bed occupancy at 64%, adding that it is currently at about 80%.

Hospital officials also dismissed figures circulating publicly, saying it was misleading to claim Ksh9.1 billion is missing, and that there is no Ksh3 billion loss or a Ksh4.2 billion loan undertaken by the hospital.

On governance, Onyambu said the Nairobi Hospital is owned by the Kenya Hospital Association, and that the dispute has been fuelled by interference with internal processes, including last-minute court orders affecting AGMs and restrictions on financial credit at a time of medical equipment need.

Onyambu said the hospital has a group of about 730 specialist consultants chaired by the head of the Medical Advisory Board Dr Agnes Gachoki, who is directly elected by members and sits on the board of management.

He said a small group of doctors who sought to engage the hospital’s patron did not represent the institution.

Dr Gachoki said the five members who went to see the patron did not follow the proper structures through the Medical Advisory Board, and that there was no official board resolution authorising the meeting, describing it as an informal engagement.

She said information presented to the patron was misleading.

Osano said the hospital has about 250 suppliers and paid Ksh6.3 billion to suppliers last year.

He said no suppliers have threatened to withdraw services over unpaid bills, while adding that governance challenges at the hospital date back to 2016.

He also said some of the hospital’s financial pressures trace back to previous board decisions, including the stoppage of infrastructure projects in 2018, resulting in arbitration awards of about Ksh800 million to contractors for breach of contract, and court awards to staff who had been dismissed.

The board said it is cooperating with investigative agencies and insisted there was no need for arrests, saying members have nothing to hide.

Onyambu said the hospital has about 3,200 members, but has not onboarded new members for the last two years due to a register query, adding that a clean-up and audit is ongoing.