One of Kenya’s leading private medical institutions, The Nairobi Hospital, is facing a deepening governance crisis after sudden arrests at the weekend of senior board officials, mounting legal disputes, and growing concerns from doctors over the management of the hospital, reports The Kenyan Wall Street.
Police detained several members of the hospital’s leadership on Sunday, including board chairman Dr Job Obwaka, vice-chairman Professor Samson Kinyanjui, and former chairman Dr Chris Bichange, as part of ongoing investigations linked to disputes within the hospital’s governance structures.
The arrests have ramped up tensions surrounding the management of the institution and its parent body, the Kenya Hospital Association.
The detentions prompted a swift response from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which warned that doctors could take industrial action if the situation is not resolved.
Union secretary-general Davji Atellah criticised the arrest of Obwaka, an 83-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist, arguing that the move has created anxiety among medical professionals affiliated with the hospital.
The doctors were released on bail on Monday, all of them denying criminal charges related to conflict of interest and the alleged loss of Sh8m at the hospital.
They will appear in court again on 31 March.
Trumped up
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) said Obwaka’s arrest was related to a registration issue tied to the hospital’s 2024 AGM, while KMPDU said it had been told the doctor was being accused of falsifying the register of 344 members, and, “jointly with others, of failing to lodge a copy of the amended articles with the registrar for registration, contrary to the Companies Act”.
Obwaka – and the others – also faced charges of allegedly failing to lodge financial statements with the Registrar, the KSK said.
“It is important to note that Dr Obwaka was not present at the time when the alleged irregularities in these records are said to have occurred, raising serious questions about the basis and fairness of the accusations,” the LSK said.
The lawyers allege that the arrests are tied to a row over the control of the hospital, accusing senior state officials linked to the Office of the President of trying to forcefully wrest control of the facility, reports Nairobileo.
Former Attorney General Justin Muturi had earlier accused the President of trying to take control of the hospital, alleging the arrest was carried out on the direct orders of the Head of State.
Turmoil
The latest developments are part of a prolonged struggle for control within the hospital’s governance framework.
In recent years, disagreements between board members, association members and medical staff have periodically surfaced, often spilling into the courts and disrupting internal decision-making.
Pulse reports that a group of senior consultants had recently escalated the troubled institution’s deepening governance crisis, alleging financial mismanagement, disappearing funds and attempts to destroy evidence, as they defended their decision to seek intervention from Kenyan President William Ruto, who serves as patron of the KHA, the membership body that owns the hospital.
The unfolding conflict has raised fresh concerns about governance stability at one of the country’s leading private healthcare institutions.