Source: Citizen Digital –Citizen TV established that President William Ruto’s name has been invoked in a series of meetings in which senior government operatives are alleged to have pushed for changes in the board of The Nairobi Hospital, amid claims of intimidation and an intensifying scramble for control of the multi‑billion shilling facility.
Sources familiar with the meetings told Citizen TV that on Monday, March 9, 2026, the chair of the Nairobi Hospital board, Dr Barcley Onyambu, was summoned to Harambee House, the Office of the President, and instructed to cause three vacancies in the board.
The sources said Onyambu was given names to fill the positions and told the President wanted the changes effected within the week.
The officials at the meeting were described as being associated with the Office of the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
The claims have emerged against a backdrop of boardroom wrangles that insiders say have simmered for more than a year. Citizen TV understands that members of the board have been living in fear, with sources citing an atmosphere of intimidation that includes threats of arrest.
The arrest of Dr Job Obwaka has been cited by insiders as a turning point.
Citizen TV has also established that other meetings have allegedly been held at both Harambee House and State House to discuss the management of the hospital.
In one meeting, a senior official is quoted as saying: “The President says though Nairobi Hospital is a private hospital, it has a public character.”
As the pressure builds, Citizen TV has reviewed internal communication from the hospital that, according to sources, points to earlier co-options into the board.
In a memo dated February 6, 2026, Nairobi Hospital Company Secretary Gilbert Nyamweya announced the co-option of Dr Sylvester Okumu Kasuku and Mr Moses Agoi Ondaba as board members. Sources said the two names had been submitted from Harambe House.
Insiders further alleged that there has been pressure to force up to nine changes in the 14‑member board, which would hand majority control of board decisions and the direction of the hospital.
The Nairobi Hospital is run by the Kenya Hospital Association, a club-like membership entity said to have more than 3,000 members, and is structured as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act.
Citizen TV understands that the ownership structure has become central to the dispute.
Insiders say there is external pressure to convert the institution into a company limited by shares, a move that would fundamentally alter control of the hospital.
The Kenya Hospital Association is a non-profit entity, but it operates a hospital whose monthly earnings are estimated by insiders at Ksh1.5 billion to Ksh1.6 billion, making its board and ownership structure a high-stakes prize.
It is in that context that board members say they have faced intimidation, including threats of arrest over alleged money laundering.
Citizen TV has seen a list of 34 vehicles said to be linked to alleged proceeds of money laundering, although the hospital has maintained that most of the vehicles belong to staff members.
Insiders told Citizen TV that the arrests of Dr Job Obwaka and Samson Kinyanjui are being viewed within the board as part of an active move to take over the hospital.
