Intrigues surround the disbandment of Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH) Management Board and subsequent suspension of the Chief Executive.

There has also been suspicions that the suspended CEO Ahmed Dagane does not meet qualifications for the position, which includes a degree in relevant medical subjects.

The Board Chairperson Prof Olive Mugenda who has been at the helm of the level 6 public hospital since its inception in 2019, tendered her resignation through a letter to President William Ruto on December 3rd, 2024.

Hot on the heels of Mugenda’s resignation, the State on the same day sent Dagane on indefinite leave and appointed Zainab Gura as acting hospital CEO while also disbanding the Hospital Management Board.

The move came two days after workers including doctors, nurses and other staff paralyzed services when they downed tools and held demonstrations in the hospital compound to protest what they termed as poor working conditions at the level 6 facility.

A week earlier and prior to the workers’ strike, the KUTRRH Board had ordered Dagane to proceed on compulsory leave and appointed Isaac Kamau to replace him on an acting capacity, pending investigations into claims of his involvement in misappropriation of funds.

More intrigues were to follow when, on the following day, the Ministry of Health wrote a letter reinstating Dagane, who has served as the hospital’s CEO over the last two years.

Announcing the latest changes, the Office of the President, in a communication by State House Spokesman Hussein Mohamed, said the President had accepted Mugenda’s resignation while at the same time dissolving the Board forthwith. 

“As per directives from the the Cabinet Secretary for Health, the CEO Ahmed Dagane has been directed to proceed on indefinite leave. Zainab Gura takes over as the acting CEO of KUTRRH,” Hussein said in a letter announcing the leadership changes.

Kamau was ordered to report back to the Ministry of Health head office for further deployment.

The workers led by officials of Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union KPCU and the Kenya National Union of Nurses, were demanding the disbandment of the Board and Dagane’s reinstatement.

“As KUTRRH employees, we demand the disbandment of the management board which has outlived its usefulness. We also want the substantive CEO Dagane back in office,” said KMPDU official Vincent Oyiengo.

Some of the demands by the employees included payment of nurses and doctors uniforms allowances, risk extraneous allowances and radiation exposure allowance for staff working in radiology.

Meanwhile, questions have arisen over the suspended CEO’s qualifications as information indicates that he may not have valid papers to practice as a nurse, which is his core area of training in the medical field.

It has emerged that Dagane, who scored a D+ in his O-level exams at County High School in 1993, is not even a registered nurse under the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) as required by law.

Among the requirements for the holder of such a position is a degree in Medicine & Surgery, Nursing, Public Health, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory or any other health related field from a recognized institution.

Records on Dagane do not indicate this, other than just stating that he has a degree in his application papers.

Available documents indicate that he was registered as a nurse in Minnesota State in the US in 2009, which registration expired in 2016. There is no indication in the NCK records that he was registered locally since then.

At one time, members of the Parliamentary Health Committee, while on a fact finding tour of the hospital, raised the issue of Dagane’s qualifications, but the Board came to his defence, maintaining he had the requisite documents.
 And since his nursing registration in the US expired in 2016, it is doubtful that he can even be allowed to sit for NCK exams to regularize his qualifications since his D+ grade is way below the requirements.
Under the circumstances, it remains unclear how Dagane, previously kicked out of the Garissa level 5 hospital as CEO, went on to assume the same position at one of the country’s top health institutions.

Incidentally, among the workers grievances were accusations of the Board Chairperson trying to micro-manage operations of the hospital, which raises eyebrows about their sincerity.

Insiders pointed out that prior to the latest developments, there has been bad blood between the Board Chairperson and Dagane who was accused of frequently finding excuses to stay away from official functions at the facility.

Prof Mugenda is credited with transforming the prestigious public facility into world class status and presiding over the acquisition of state-of-the-art facilities such as the Cyberknife, Lynac machine and other equipment.
Under her leadership, the Board had also initiated construction of a children’s hospital, the Cancer Center Annex which is complete awaiting commissioning and women breast care center.

The former Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor is also the brains behind the referral facility having initiated the project during her tenure at the neighbouring institution.
ENDS

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