Catholic Archbishop of Kisumu Maurice Mahatia has affirmed that the Catholic Church will stay firm in service delivery amidst the Social Health Authority chaos.
This follows the closure of St Mary’s Hospital, a Catholic mission facility that was serving low-income patients for decades.
The Bishop said that they will continue serving tirelessly saying what happened to St Mary’s Hospital is regrettable.
He said that St Mary’s Hospital is not the only one that was affected but several other mission hospitals closed doors.
“We shall remain indefatigable in our resolution to continue helping our communities, building our country in the area of education and health as much as we can. What happened to St Mary’s Mumias Hospital the other day is regrettable and we pray that it doesn’t happen to any other mission hospital,” he said.
“What has happened is not only about Mumias Hospital, many of our other mission hospitals are going through serious challenges," he added.
The Bishop said he prays that the government finds an urgent solution so that Kenyans do not suffer over occurrences that can easily be avoided.
“On our part as the Church, we shall maintain and resolve to
continue building our country and dioceses.”
St Mary's Hospital has been at the centre of controversy after claims that it received Sh82 million from the Social Health Authority.
On August 30, Kakamega Catholic Bishop Joseph Obanyi disputed the claims revealing that the institution has only received Sh9 million.
Bishop Obanyi, under whose authority the hospital operates, alleged that the figures announced by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi were misleading and did not reflect the reality on the ground.
He clarified that the Sh9 million disbursed was strictly designated for the renal unit, not for the hospital’s wider operations, which remain crippled by lack of funds.
“Since June this year up to now, we may have received about Sh9 million, which is designated for the renal unit. The hospital itself has not received any money, as claimed from the SHA, which would easily go to the patients,” the clergyman said.
His remarks followed Mudavadi’s sentiments during a burial ceremony in Malava earlier, where the Prime CS insisted the hospital had received Sh82 million out of a pending Sh117 million.
Mudavadi went further to suggest that if the hospital was facing operational challenges, it could be due to internal mismanagement rather than a lack of government support.
“The hospital has been paid Sh82 million out of Sh117 million. If they want to argue, we are ready to produce evidence, how much they received in November and December last year… I have it even on my phone here, I can read it right now. So, if there was mismanagement at that hospital, they should not drag the whole nation into it,” Mudavadi said.
But Bishop Obanyi pushed back, stating that the focus should be on solutions to revive the once-thriving institution that has served communities for more than a century.
He added that St Mary’s closure was the direct result of financial strain, with staff unpaid and operations suspended, not mismanagement as implied.
