Judge pleads for the reopening of War Memorial Hospital

War Memorial Hospital sign post on October 26, 2023. The facility was taken over by Nakuru county government on the night of October 28. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] Nyandarua Environment and Land Court Judge Joseph Mugo has pleaded with Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and War Memorial Hospital directors to reopen the hospital and provide resident services. Mugo, while hearing the dispute over who owns the 25-acre prime land in Milimani Estate, where the hospital stands, said there was a need for diplomacy as the closure of the hospital was detrimental to the quality of health services in Nakuru. "I have not ruled on who owns the land, but I want the hospital to run. I have relatives in Nakuru who need services. The hospital has been operating since 1921 and has served many," said Mugo on Thursday afternoon. Mugo appealed to Kihika to make a decision and commit herself to seeing the hospital, shut down on January 23, 2024, running again, even as the land dispute case continues in court. He went further to call on both the county government leadership and the private management to set aside their ego that would not take them anywhere, sit and discuss how the hospital can be reopened. "I have no problem hearing the case, but I want the parties to sit down and come up with a solution that would be in the interest of the public," he pleaded. Mugo unusually pleaded with John Kihagi, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing, and Urban Development, who was testifying in court. "Tell the Governor that I sang for her late father, Kihika Kimani, and the former President Jomo Kenyatta. Tell her that I plead that the county find a way to see the hospital running again," pleaded Mugo. He added that the county should consider how they can share the 25 acres, saying it was enough for both the government and the hospital's use. Even as the judge begged the parties to negotiate, the case continued with Kihagi testifying and admitting that the Certificate of Lease possessed by the hospital's private management was genuine. According to Kihagi, the county government was challenging the process the hospital used to obtain the lease certificate, insisting that it was fraudulent. "I can confirm that the lease originated from the land's office. However, we want it canceled because the process of obtaining it was fraudulent," testified Kihagi. The lease extended the hospital's private ownership for 50 years, effective April 1, 2021. Dr Simon Mwangi, one of the hospital directors, testified that they started the process of renewing the lease before it expired in March 2021. He testified that in the past, provincial commissioners and government medical officers were part of the hospital's board, but they never became shareholders, hence the hospital remained private. "The directors withdrew the board members from the government because they failed to attend meetings for decades when they realized there were no allowances. They only sent apologies," he testified. Mwangi said that the county or national government has never moved to court to challenge their removal from the board to date. Although the hospital shares one building with Nakuru Level V Hospital Annex, a government hospital, Dr Mwangi insisted that there were conflicts. "We used to attend meetings together with the doctors and staff in the other hospital. They also used some of our equipment," he testified. According to Dr Mwangi, no one objected to the renewal of the hospital land lease, including the National Land Commission (NLC). The case will continue on November 11 if the parties fail to agree.

Judge pleads for the reopening of War Memorial Hospital

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