SENIOR Nairobi Hospital doctors including Dr.Silverstein say they sought President Ruto’s intervention to save the facility from financial mismanagement and bad governance.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAVING THE NAIROBI HOSPITAL: THE TRUTH BEHIND OUR APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS
Nairobi, 16th March 2026
The Nairobi Hospital is not an ordinary private entity. It sits on 21.8 acres of public land, granted by the Government under a trust for the exclusive purpose of providing healthcare to the people of Kenya. For over 70 years, it has evolved into a national and regional medical pillar. It has cared for Kenya’s founding President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and former President Daniel Arap Moi. It serves United Nations staff and international civil servants through a dedicated wing and has provided critical care to patients from across East Africa.
It is precisely because of this public character, the assistance of the President as the Patron of our Association, has been sought to assist save the Nairobi Hospital.
THE CHRONOLOGY OF INTERVENTIONS
The sequence of events is straightforward.
- In March 2025, concerned doctors approached the Office of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Mr. Felix Koskei, detailing years of mismanagement, financial impropriety, and irregular manipulation of the members’ register by the Board. Following this appeal, Mr. Koskei directed the matter to the Attorney General, who, exercising her statutory powers under Section 800 of the Companies Act, lawfully obtained Search and Seizure Warrants. The resulting operation recovered a treasure trove of documents—some hidden in secret compartments in the Company Secretary’s office, others rescued from the incinerator during an attempt to destroy evidence. These documents form the foundation of the ongoing criminal investigations.
- In November 2025, as governance challenges persisted, some doctors sought the intervention of the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale. They outlined the continued mismanagement, the insurance boycott that crippled the hospital, and the board’s failure to provide leadership.
- Finally, in March 2026, after all these interventions failed to resolve the governance crisis, a group of concerned members sought an audience with the President and appealed to His Excellency the President as our Patron for his intervention to save this 70-year-old national institution, which was on the brink of collapse.
This was a final step in a long and unsuccessful struggle to save the hospital through established channels.
DEFIANCE OF COURT ORDERS: A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS WITHIN THE HOSPITAL
The situation at The Nairobi Hospital has now escalated beyond governance failure into a full-blown constitutional crisis. It is a matter of public record—and a central concern for all who believe in the rule of law—that the hospital’s leadership is openly defying binding orders issued by the High Court of Kenya. In the case of Milimani HCCC No. E293 of 2025 Peter Wainaina, Maurice Ambani & 8 Others v. Felix Osano, Gilbert Nyamweya & 11 Others, Hon. Justice Prof. (Dr.) Sifuna issued clear and binding conservatory orders on 5th November 2025. These court orders were extended on 18th November, 2025 that, pending the determination of the application the Board of Directors, including the CEO and Company Secretary, and their agents were:
- restrained from transacting with the hospital’s fixed deposits, bonds, T-Bills, and overdrafts;
- restrained from convening any meetings of the Board of Management, its Committees, or an Annual General Meeting; and
- restrained from procuring new or ongoing capital projects.
No application has been filed to set aside or lift the orders of Justice Sifuna. They remain in full force and effect to this day. Despite these subsisting orders, the CEO and Company Secretary continue to exercise authority, and take actions that violate the terms of the injunctive orders.
OUR MOTIVATION: A HOSPITAL IN CRISIS
We took these steps because we have witnessed firsthand the methodical dismantling of a great institution. The facts, are staggering:
- Financial Collapse: Audited financial statements show the hospital has suffered losses exceeding KES 3 billion, with a deficit of approximately KES 2 billion in 2024 alone. Board member Ngugi Wachira has publicly stated that the hospital owes suppliers in excess of KES 4 billion. As a direct result, some suppliers have suspended delivery of essential drugs and medical equipment, leaving doctors struggling to provide timely and safe care, with delayed surgeries already being reported.
- Unaccounted Funds: Over the years, the hospital has accumulated depreciations of approximately KES 9.677 billion. As the hospital maintains no sinking fund, this money should be held as cash or investments. Yet, as of December 2024, cash and cash equivalents stood at only KES 572 million. This means KES 9.1 billion has simply vanished or been siphoned out.
- Litigation Fever: The Board’s actions have plunged the hospital into a slew of litigation, with legal and professional fees skyrocketing from KES 390 million in 2023 to over KES 680 million in 2024.
- The Manipulated Register: It is now a matter of public record that the Board engaged in a bold-faced move to capture the hospital by loading some 333 individuals into the Members’ Register. Their membership was paid for through a single lump-sum payment of KES 5,000,000 by one Anne Bosibori Omari, without valid nomination, vetting, or Board approval, in a direct attempt to rig votes and entrench themselves in power.
- Attempted Destruction of Evidence: The very attempt to destroy documents in the incinerator and hide others confirms a consciousness of guilt. This is not the behaviour of innocent servants.
THE ARRESTS ARE A RESULT OF EVIDENCE, NOT POLITICAL INTERFERENCE
The documents recovered during the Section 800 investigation form the basis of the ongoing criminal proceedings. They are the lawful consequences of evidence uncovered by the Police. However, the arrest of Dr. Job Obwaka is one where the net that has been cast has caught an innocent. Dr. Obwaka is not a 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.
This is not a government takeover. The hospital belongs to its members – it cannot be taken away by the government or any one person.
The incompetencies and corruption by the Hospital’s Board of Directors must be dealt with, and they sought resign or be removed.
LET THE TRUTH PREVAIL
We are doctors, not politicians. We have taken an oath to save lives, and that includes saving the institution that enables us to serve Kenyans.
The Nairobi Hospital must be saved—not for any individual, not for any political interest, but for the thousands of patients who depend on it and the generations of Kenyans yet to come.
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THE TRUTH PREVAIL We are doctors, not politicians. We have taken an oath to save lives, and that includes saving the institution that enables us to serve Kenyans. We want free, fair, and credible elections of Board Members with a good track record. The Nairobi Hospital must be saved—not for any individual, not for any political interest, but for the thousands of patients who depend on it and the generations of Kenyans yet to come.
SIGNED: 1. Dr. Stephen Muhudhia Consultant Paediatrician, Chairperson of the Division of Paediatrics, KHA Medical Advisory Committee
- Dr. Martin Wanyoike Consulting Physician Cardiologist
- Dr. Joel Toroitich Consulting Physician Endocrinologist
- Dr. David Silverstein Consulting Physician Cardiologist
- Dr. Florence Murila Consulting Paediatrician and Ethics Specialist
- Ms. Christine Muthoga Legal Advisor, Senior Partner – Muthoga and Omari Advocates For media inquiries, please contact: Ms. Christine Muthoga 0757 130384 info@moadvocates.co.ke Page 3 of 3
