The drama surrounding the Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital in Homa Bay County has taken a fresh twist after residents revealed that the hospital has never been operational, despite the Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Mercy Mwangangi alleging it has been since the 1970s.
In a follow-up report, locals from the area where the hospital is located told journalists that they were shocked to find out that the hospital receives funding despite having been closed for a long time.
The residents revealed that for the longest time, they have had to travel to Rachuonyo to get medical services.
‘’That is a surprise and breaking news to me. It is very concerning that the hospital is receiving funds, yet we have never seen the hospital working. This is a waste project,’’ a resident said.
‘’What I can tell the government is, open the hospital, so that it can now start operating, so that we can also start working here, it can be very beneficial to us who live near it,’’ another one said.
The residents had been waiting for over a decade to see the hospital operate; however, it had never happened.
After SHA released an official list of hospitals that had received the August 2025 disbursement, Kenyans quickly noted that the hospital had been listed as having received Ksh20 million.
Photos and videos emerged online showing that the hospital was still out of action, sparking tension and heated debate over who had been pocketing the money.
In a quick rejoinder, the SHA CEO refuted the claims, assuring that the hospital has been operational.
“The Social Health Authority (SHA) has noted with concern a misleading article published on August 22, 2025, alleging that SHA disbursed Ksh20 million to a ghost facility. These claims are false, misleading, and undermine basic principles of responsible journalism, such as accuracy, fairness, and balance,” the statement read in part.
While Mwangagi said this, assuring that SHA funding is strictly done under scrutiny, NTV reported that Health CS Aden Duale issued conflicting reports, alluding that the inclusion was an error.
While responding to the drama, the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association, which has been demanding for payments from the defunct NHIF, alleged that these gaps in SHA are among many examples of its failures.
