President William Ruto has defended the takeover of the 70-year-old Nairobi Hospital, saying the facility is being exploited by fraudsters and requires urgent intervention to prevent collapse.

Speaking in Mt. Elgon on Tuesday, the Head of State said senior doctors and professionals approached him to save the hospital from what he described as “conmen, fraudsters and charlatans” allegedly taking advantage of the institution.

Ruto said that in his capacity as patron of the Kenya Hospital Association, he had a responsibility to step in and safeguard the facility.

“There is no way I am going to allow Nairobi Hospital to be taken hostage by charlatans, conmen and fraudsters. As patron of Nairobi Hospital, senior doctors and professionals approached me to save the hospital from people who wanted to exploit it,” the President added.

He warned that changes at the hospital were inevitable, adding that those implicated in mismanagement would be removed and prosecuted.

“The changes must happen. Those who have messed up this hospital will be removed, taken to court and charged. It is a public institution and we are going to defend it from charlatans, crooks and conmen,” Ruto noted.

We are going to stand and defend the right of Nairobi Hospital ~President Ruto pic.twitter.com/N9wiSPNUUl
— The Standard Digital (@StandardKenya) March 17, 2026

Records from the Ministry of Health, however, indicate that Nairobi Hospital is owned and governed by the Kenya Hospital Association and is registered as a company limited by guarantee, meaning it operates as a private institution, not a public one as the President alleged.

Earlier, six senior consultants with more than two decades of service at the hospital said they sought Ruto’s intervention after multiple appeals to government agencies failed to resolve what they called the “methodical dismantling” of a national institution.

The doctors Stephen Muhudhia, Martin Wanyoike, Joel Toroitich, David Silverstein, Florence Murila and legal adviser Christine Muthoga claimed there were massive financial irregularities, including Sh9.1 billion in missing cash reserves, Sh3 billion in documented deficits and more than Sh4 billion owed to suppliers

The appeal to the President has sparked a political storm, with the Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi accusing Ruto of using the crisis to install loyalists on the hospital’s board through intimidation.

“Over the past year, President William Ruto, through his Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, has sustained intimidation, blackmail and threats against the board of management,” Muturi added.

Muturi claimed that on March 7, 2026, the board chairman received a call from officials in the Office of the Head of Public Service ordering the removal of three directors to create room for individuals aligned with the President.

“Failure to comply, they said, would lead to arrests and money-laundering charges. This is nothing short of coordinated blackmail,” he alleged.

He further said presidential adviser Dr. Sylvester Okumu Kasuku and Moses Agoi Ondaba were recently co-opted into the board after their names were submitted from Harambee House.

Ruto dismissed the claims and lashed out at critics, calling the opposition “brainless” and urging them to stay away from the Nairobi Hospital matter.

“I want to tell the brainless opposition to find something else to do. Leave Nairobi Hospital alone. Your IQ is very low and you do not understand what is happening. We are going to stand by Nairobi Hospital. It is a public institution and we will defend it from charlatans, crooks and conmen,” the President warned.