Nairobi’s Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, a lifeline for millions, is teetering on the edge of collapse due to stalled infrastructure projects, chronic underfunding, and bureaucratic inertia, according to a damning report by the County Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
During a recent inspection, the PAC exposed a litany of failures at one of Nairobi’s busiest public health facilities. Chairperson Chege Mwaura, Ngara Ward representative, described a “dangerous” backlog in construction work, with the hospital’s critical 400-bed expansion and a new canteen project languishing at less than 40 per cent completion. Despite substantial payments to contractors, progress has ground to a halt, leaving patients and staff in limbo.
Mwaura pinned the blame on the sluggish transition from the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) to the county government, which has stalled vital upgrades. He urged Governor Johnson Sakaja to expedite the handover to ease the hospital’s chronic overcrowding and address soaring healthcare demands. “The people of Nairobi deserve better,” Mwaura said.
The PAC also slammed a 2023 canteen project, launched under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model, as a glaring failure. The contractor’s inability to deliver has deprived staff and patients of a basic facility, undermining morale and welfare. “How can a hospital function without such essentials?” Mwaura asked.
Most alarmingly, the committee revealed that Mama Lucy operates without a single shilling from the county government, relying solely on its own revenue. To break this cycle of neglect, the PAC plans to advocate for a semi-autonomous financial status or a Facility Improvement Fund (FIF) to bolster the hospital’s resilience. Similar measures could benefit other strained facilities like Mbagathi, Mutuini, and Mama Margaret Uhuru hospitals.
Financial mismanagement compounds the crisis. Of the Sh 300–400 million allocated for ongoing projects, only a third has been disbursed, with murky contract details and fund use prompting the PAC to demand full transparency from City Hall. “Taxpayers deserve accountability,” Mwaura insisted.
Despite these challenges, the hospital’s staff earned high praise from the PAC for their resilience, making efficient use of scarce resources, including the CT scan unit, to keep services running. Their dedication shines through amid dire conditions.
Hospital CEO Dr Martin Wafula, welcoming the PAC’s scrutiny, revealed the facility is grappling with a cholera outbreak, managing 48 suspected cases and five confirmed infections. A 20-bed isolation unit and a dedicated ambulance have been deployed, but resources are stretched thin. Wafula also highlighted the hospital’s overburdened morgue, limited to 45 bodies while serving over 2.9 million people. “Our staff are pushed to breaking point,” he warned, citing inadequate space and equipment.
At the heart of the hospital’s woes is the stalled 400-bed expansion, which promises a cardiac catheterisation lab and an increase in operating theatres from six to 18. Once completed, the upgrade would enable advanced procedures like open-heart surgery, transforming Mama Lucy into a regional healthcare hub. “This project could save countless lives, but it’s been left to gather dust,” Wafula lamented.
The PAC’s forthcoming report is expected to lay bare the systemic failures choking Mama Lucy and propose urgent reforms to unlock funding and revive critical infrastructure. With Nairobi’s healthcare system buckling under pressure, the report’s implementation could determine whether thousands of vulnerable patients continue to receive care, or are left to fend for themselves.
