Prof. Olive Mugenda resigns as KU hospital board chair

Prof. Olive Mugenda has now resigned as the Chairperson of the Board of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH).

This comes just a day after the hospital staff held protests saying the board had suspended their medical cover, leaving them and their dependents at risk of lacking access to health services.

They demanded the reinstatement of the cover and reimbursement of money they have used to settle medical expenses; failure to which they would withdraw their services.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, in a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday evening, noted that President William Ruto had received and accepted Prof. Mugenda’s resignation from the position.

Mohamed also noted that the government has since disbanded the entire board, revoking the appointments of members Kavinya Mwendwa and Gladys Ogallo, and formally began a fresh process to reconstitute it.

This decision, he noted, was made in a bid to “restore stability and effective governance” at the facility.

“President William Ruto has received and accepted the resignation of Professor Olive Mugenda as the Chairperson of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) Board, with immediate effect,” noted Mohamed in the statement.

“The President acknowledges Professor Mugenda's significant contributions to the growth and development of KUTRRH during her tenure and extends his gratitude for her service.”

The State House Spokesperson went further to note that Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa had also sent home the hospital CEO, Ahmed Dagane, on indefinite leave.

The CS went ahead to appoint Dr. Zainab Gura as the hospital’s new Acting CEO, replacing Isaac Kamau who was only recently appointed to the position by the board.

Dr. Barasa hence directed Mr. Kamau to report back to the Ministry of Health headquarters, presumably for redeployment.