A Nairobi County public health report has found that a large share of private clinics in the city are operating without the approvals required by law. The county says 800 of the 2,315 private clinics mapped in Nairobi, about 34 percent, were offering services illegally.
Only 1,500 of those facilities had been inspected over time and cleared as having the necessary permits, according to the county’s clinical inspection team. The findings were presented by Jesca Omai, the Nairobi County Clinical Inspection Coordinator, when she appeared before the Nairobi County Assembly Health Services Committee last week.
The report also singled out Milan Health International, a private clinic associated with quack doctor James Mugo Ndicho, also known as Mugo Wa Wairimu. County officials said the facility had no business permit or operating licence from City Hall and was therefore running illegally.
Omai said the mapping exercise was carried out in August last year and showed that Nairobi had 2,315 private clinics in total. She added that inspection officers were once denied entry into the Milan facility during a routine visit, and when they later returned to check compliance, they found it closed.
“No license was given to Milan International and we have never met Mugo in the clinic. The applicant for the permits for the clinic was Elijah Mathiai and the documents presented were for a nurse who was allowed to practice,” she said.
Mr Mugo, who is accused of illegally operating a clinic in Kayole and of sexually assaulting a sedated patient while posing as a medical doctor, was arrested by police from his hideout in Gachie, Kiambu County, after a two-week search.
The county’s findings add pressure on private health providers in Nairobi, where regulators say hundreds of clinics may still be serving residents without the required approvals.
