Reputed to be East and Central Africa’s premier healthcare institution, Nairobi Hospital boasts being the number one regional healthcare destination after hosting Singida East MP Tundu Lissu whose car was sprayed with 32 bullets, and currently Uganda’s Speaker of National Assembly Ms Rebecca Kadaga.
However, besides the welcoming ambience and the aura of exceptional treatment, Nairobi hospital is literally rotten to the core.
The hospital’s woes have been brewing over time, but in December last year, it took a rather unprecedented trajectory after then CEO Robert Oundo was locked out of his office following an expose that rattled the hospital board the wrong way.
The first rot at the institution is that it has two boards operating parallel to each other. There is the board chaired by a Mr John Simba was dismissed by the Kenya Hospitals Association on May 15 and replaced by another board of directors which the former now seek blocked from coming into office.
In the confusion, members of the Nairobi Hospital board have been dishing lucrative contracts to their own companies registered with their names in utter flouting of the law.
Even with the hospital’s procurement laws against it, the board has, for years, circumvented the laid down procedure to hire close relatives of the institution management and handpick suppliers.
One glaring case is that of the Hospital’s Board Chairman’s cousin Mr Tom Simba being hired to be the Communications Manager.
Calls by the Daily Nation team went unanswered when they sought to confirm the relationship between the two.
As if that is not enough, the Hospital’s secretary Ms Mercy Mbijiwe is related to board member Dr Charles Kariuki.
Pressed to clarify her family ties with the board member before the board fired former CEO Mr Gordon Odundo, Ms Mbijiwe confirmed the ties in a letter.
“I declare that currently, the only person related to me is Dr Charles Kariuki who is my cousin,” she said in response to the CEO.
Dispelling allegations of favouritism Mbijiwe added:
“I would, however, like to state that at the time of my employment, I am aware Dr Charles Kariuki declared to the board that he was related to me and never participated in the interview in which the acting chief executive was also sitting.”
Current CEO Mr John Simba’s law firm has represented the hospital in four legal cases in what clearly points out to handpicking.
However, it is a decision by the former CEO Mr Oundo to review an insurance tender that fell him out of favour with the board and placed him a warpath that led to his unceremonious sacking.
M Oundo dared to question the decision to award Hawk Bay the lucrative tender even though their scores were way too low compared to other bidders. The company is headed by Nairobi Hospital’s board member Mr Sam Ncheeri.