Blame game over Sh143m: Mudavadi, Bishop clash on St. Mary's SHA payouts

The controversy surrounding payouts from the Social Health Authority (SHA) to St. Mary’s Mumias Mission Hospital has deepened, with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and the Catholic Church offering conflicting accounts of the hospital’s funding and closure.

On Thursday, Mudavadi announced that the faith-based facility had received Sh82 million out of Sh117 million in claims submitted to SHA.

Mudavadi went ahead and posted a report claimed to be from the Ministry of Health showing that the hospital had received Sh92.9 million, including Sh4.8 million disbursed in August 2025.

The document also tabulated Sh5.7million payments made under the Primary Healthcare Fund, bringing the total disbursement to Sh98.9 million between November 2024 and August 2025.

It further shows that claims worth Sh10.2 million were returned for incompleteness, while another Sh11.4 million were rejected due to missing documentation. 

The document reads in part, “Close to Sh14.8 million received by the facility in July and August 2025 was reportedly used to settle staff salary arrears.”

Mudavadi has, however, called on the hospital’s management to come out and tell the public the truth on what led to the closure of the facility, attributing its woes to mismanagement.

“Those politicians using podiums to say that the government is behind the troubles facing St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias are misleading the people. The hospital put forward a claim of Sh117million under the SHA program, and so far, they have received Sh82million in payment,” said Mudavadi.

He added, “The government, through the Ministry of Health, has the records, and I am a witness. I have a copy of the records. If they want to dispute and bring on an argument, I am ready to produce the evidence of what they received in November and December last year and the subsequent payments under the SHA program."

He further alleged that some health facilities were withholding evidence on SHA disbursements to discredit the new scheme, even as the government worked to streamline operations.

However, on Friday, Kakamega and Vihiga Dioceses Bishop Joseph Obanyi dismissed Mudavadi's claims, stating that the hospital has only received Sh9 million from SHA out of Sh140million as total claims.

"Since June this year up to now, we have received about Sh9million, which is only designated for the renal unit and therefore the hospital has not received any money that we can say it has come from the claims made to SHA," said Obanyi.

He added, "Talking about Sh82million that has been disbursed and that the hospital is still closed is pure politics. We need the money; this is not the government hospital, it is a mission hospital that serves the poor," said Obanyi.

Obanyi said there is no way he was going to keep workers on the job when he has no money to run the facility.

He added that SHA still owes the facility Sh143 million, dating back to when NHIF was replaced, noting that only Sh39 million worth of claims were under verification.

After 100 years in existence and serving the locals, the hospital's staff received email notifications from the Human Resources department on July 1, 2025, telling them not to report for work until further notice.

Workers at the hospital had downed tools a few days earlier in protest after going without pay for four months, with the facility attributing its failure to pay workers to a failure by the SHA to remit funds to the hospital.

However, on 30th June 2025, the doctors, nurses, clinical officers and casual labourers went on strike demanding their salary arrears, non-remittance of SHIF, and NSSF, stating that the management was misleading the Bishop about the true status of the facility.

“We have gone on strike because we have worked for four months without a salary, and when we ask, we are told that SHA is not sending funds and yet it is remitting money, and our Bishop is being misled by a few individuals at the top when they are taking the hospital down on its knees,” said one nurse.

When the Standard contacted SHA Chairman Abdi Mohamed, he did not confirm the figures shared by Mudavadi; instead said the hospital’s management was best placed to respond.

"The best people to confirm will be the management. Let me forward the message to them," said Abdi.

The standoff leaves thousands of locals in Mumias and neighbouring areas without access to the hospital’s critical services, as the blame game between government officials, church leadership, and hospital management continues.