City Affairs

Kenyatta University management urged to maintain status quo with KUTRRH

The Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital. (Handout)

By Hanifa Adan | Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Pukose stressed that reverting KUTRRH to Kenyatta University's control would require the annulment of legal notice No. 4 of 2019, which established the hospital as a state department under the Ministry of Health.

The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Health has advised Kenyatta University's administration to refrain from pursuing the reversion of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) back to university oversight.

Emphasizing the importance of collaboration between Kenyatta University's Vice Chancellor, Paul Wainana, and KUTRRH's management, particularly for the benefit of students in medical disciplines, the committee intervened in the ongoing dispute between Wainana and Olive Mugenda, the hospital's board chairperson.

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Endebess MP Robert Pukose, chair of the committee, acknowledged the public disagreement and stressed that reverting KUTRRH to Kenyatta University's control would require the annulment of legal notice No. 4 of 2019, which established the hospital as a state department under the Ministry of Health.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

During the committee's recent visit to KUTRRH, the facility's capabilities and service provision, particularly in cancer treatment and diagnosis, were thoroughly evaluated. With a capacity of 650 beds, KUTRRH offers specialized services including oncology, renal care, trauma, and orthopaedics.

KUTRRH, initiated during Olive Mugenda's tenure as Kenyatta University's vice-chancellor in 2012, transitioned into a state corporation under the Ministry of Health following a directive by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta on January 22, 2019, thereby becoming the third Health Ministry parastatal after Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching Referral Hospital in Eldoret.

During the committee's visit, Mugenda expressed gratitude for their support and reiterated the hospital's commitment to providing outstanding healthcare services, advancing medical research, and promoting community health and well-being. She underscored the critical role of maintaining KUTRRH's focus on cancer treatment and diagnosis.

Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron urged the hospital management to ramp up investment in research, clinical trials, collaborative initiatives, and state-of-the-art technologies to enhance cancer treatment outcomes and drive progress in medical science.