The drama surrounding the Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital in Homa Bay County has exploded into a full-blown scandal after fresh revelations from locals painted a disturbing picture of government negligence, cover-ups, and possible corruption.
While Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Mercy Mwangangi recently assured the public that the hospital has been functional since the 1970s, residents have come out strongly to dispute her claims, insisting that the facility has never opened its doors.
In shocking accounts, community members revealed that for decades they have been forced to travel long distances to Rachuonyo for treatment, despite government records showing that the hospital continues to receive millions in funding.
The revelation that Nyandiwa Hospital was recently allocated Ksh20 million in the August 2025 disbursement has ignited public outrage, raising serious questions about how taxpayers’ money is being siphoned off under the guise of funding a hospital that locals describe as a “ghost project.”
Why Nyandiwa Hospital Funding Has Sparked Public Outrage
For the people of Nyandiwa, the scandal is more than just a financial mismanagement issue—it is about life and death. Residents have been waiting for over a decade to see the hospital open, but to date, nothing has changed. Instead, they watch helplessly as millions are reported to be funneled into what appears to be a phantom institution.
Photos and videos circulating online confirm that Nyandiwa Hospital remains a shell, not an operational medical facility. These visuals have further inflamed public anger, especially after it emerged that the SHA’s official records listed the facility among those receiving funds.
One resident voiced his frustration, “That is a surprise and breaking news to me. It is very concerning that the hospital is receiving funds, yet we have never seen the hospital working. This is a waste project.”
Another added, “What I can tell the government is, open the hospital so that it can now start operating so that we can also start working here. It can be very beneficial to us who live near it.”
Such testimonies raise the possibility of deep-rooted corruption within the system, with funds potentially being diverted to unknown beneficiaries under the cover of Nyandiwa Hospital’s name.
Conflicting Government Statements
As the scandal grew, the Social Health Authority rushed to issue a strongly worded statement denying claims that funds were being allocated to a non-existent hospital. CEO Mercy Mwangangi insisted that SHA disbursements are done under strict scrutiny and dismissed media reports as “false and misleading.”
However, the controversy deepened after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale issued contradictory remarks, suggesting that Nyandiwa Hospital’s inclusion in the August list of funded facilities may have been a clerical error. The conflicting statements from two top government officials have only fueled speculation about possible cover-ups and accountability gaps within the Ministry of Health.
This inconsistency has given opposition leaders, civil society, and watchdog organizations ammunition to question the credibility of SHA. It has also emboldened the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association, which has long accused the health sector of mismanagement and pointed to Nyandiwa as proof of its failures.
Pressure Mounts for Accountability
The Nyandiwa Hospital scandal has now become a symbol of what critics say is a deep culture of corruption and neglect in Kenya’s healthcare system. For Homa Bay residents, the betrayal is particularly painful—they continue to live without basic healthcare services, while government records falsely portray their community as benefiting from multimillion-shilling allocations.
Civil society groups are now calling for:
- A forensic audit of SHA’s disbursements.
- Investigations into potential fraud linked to Nyandiwa Hospital.
- Public disclosure of hospital projects receiving government funding.
The controversy has also exposed how bureaucratic errors—or deliberate manipulation—can deny citizens essential services while creating opportunities for looting public funds. Unless action is taken, locals warn that the Nyandiwa scandal will remain yet another unpunished case of state corruption at the expense of suffering Kenyans.
In the end, the residents of Nyandiwa are not asking for much. They want a hospital that actually exists, a facility where they can seek treatment without traveling miles away.
But until the truth about the missing millions is unearthed and those responsible held accountable, Nyandiwa Hospital will remain the perfect example of Kenya’s ghost projects—funded on paper but dead in reality.
