The government has laid bare fresh records showing how St Mary’s Mission Hospital in Mumias received Ksh82.9 million in Social Health Authority (SHA) disbursements over the past eight months, countering claims that the facility has been starved of funds.
Documents from the Ministry of Health, reference number FID-37-109324-3, show the faith-based hospital was paid Ksh 12.9m in November 2024, Ksh 12.3m in December, Ksh 13.1m in January 2025, Ksh 11.8m in February, Ksh 16.1m in March, Ksh 10.4m in April, Ksh 616,370 in May, and Ksh 5.2m in July.
The payments total Ksh82,908,590 against claims submitted worth Ksh117.7 million.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, speaking in Malava, Kakamega County, dismissed accusations that the government had neglected the hospital, insisting the problem lay within the facility itself.
“If St Mary’s management disputes these figures, let them table the evidence. Mismanagement and wrangles cannot be blamed on the SHA program,” Mudavadi said.
The PCS accused some politicians of misleading the public and shielding health facilities that have failed to account for government funds. Ministry of Health records reveal that St Mary’s has Ksh10.2 million in claims lacking supporting documentation, raising concerns about accountability.
St Mary’s, once a key health provider in Western Kenya, has in recent years been dogged by internal wrangles, mismanagement, and frequent staff strikes over unpaid wages. Mudavadi warned that such dysfunction should not be used to undermine the government’s universal healthcare agenda.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the Office of the Auditor-General is currently verifying NHIF arrears owed to the hospital, following a court ruling, before any additional payouts are made.
Government officials maintain that the SHA reforms are central to ensuring Kenyans can access affordable, quality healthcare, and that rogue facilities attempting to “hide evidence” or misappropriate funds will be exposed.
