- Wainana and the hospital’s board chairperson Olive Mugenda have publicly differed over who should manage the hospital.
- KUTRRH is the third Health ministry parastatal after Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
Image: FILE
A House committee has told the management of Kenyatta University to stop contemplating the possibility of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) being reverted to the institution.
National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health further urged university Vice Chancellor, Paul Wainana to cooperate with the hospital management for the benefit of students in the schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and dentistry.
Wainana and the hospital’s board chairperson Olive Mugenda have publicly differed over who should manage the hospital.
“To revert KUTRRH to Kenyatta University, it would be mandatory to revoke the legal notice No. 4 of 2019 governing its establishment, which is not possible. University management must live with the fact that KUTRRH is a state department under the Ministry of Health, therefore, under this committee,” said Endebess MP Robert Pukose, who chairs the committee.
“The Health committee appropriates money to KUTRRH while our sister committee on Education oversights and appropriates funds to Kenyatta University. The feuding should stop and everyone must respect each other’s space,” Pukose added.
Pukose spoke on Monday when his committee visited KUTRRH to assess its capacity and service delivery, particularly in cancer treatment and diagnosis.
KUTRRH is a 650-bed capacity facility that offers oncology, renal, trauma and orthopaedics services, among others.
Construction started in 2012 when Mugenda was KU's vice-chancellor.
The facility became a state corporation under the Health Ministry after then-President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an order to that effect on January 22, 2019.
KUTRRH is the third Health ministry parastatal after Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
During Monday’s visit, Mugenda, the chair of the board of KUTRRH thanked the committee for supporting the institution.
She assured the committee that the hospital management is committed to its mandate of providing exceptional healthcare services, advancing medical research, and promoting community health and wellness.
The hospital offers a holistic approach to cancer care, encompassing prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.
“We want you to remain in the realm of cancer treatment and diagnosis because you are recognized as a specialized hospital at level six hospital, many Kenyans now depend on you and we don’t want you to veer off from that trajectory,” Pukose added.
Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron challenged hospital management to invest more in research as well as in clinical trials, collaborative research initiatives, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies to enhance cancer treatment outcomes and advance medical knowledge.