'Yes, Nyandiwa Dispensary exists!’ SHA responds after claims of disbusing Ksh.20M to ghost facility

The Social Health Authority (SHA) has dismissed reports that it allocated Ksh.20 million to a non-existent health facility in Homa Bay, insisting that Nyandiwa Dispensary is a functioning public hospital.

In a statement on Friday, SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi confirmed that the dispensary, situated in Ndhiwa Sub-County, has been operational since 1997 under the Ministry of Health and is currently in the status of a Level 4 Hospital.

She said the facility was among those approved by the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) for infrastructural support, leading to the disbursement of Ksh.20 million and not the same facility as the alleged structure circulating across media platforms.

“Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital, Gwassi, Suba South, Homa Bay County, has been operational since the 1970s. The facility was formerly Nyandiwa Dispensary and was subsequently upgraded to a Level 4 hospital,” stated Mwangangi.

“In line with standard practice, the hospital retained its existing bank account under the name “Nyandiwa Dispensary” as it transitioned to Level 4. Many facilities across the country that began as dispensaries or sub-district hospitals maintain their original bank account names after upgrading.”

SHA dispelled ‘misleading’ media reports claiming the facility was non-existent, after a spot check by journalists on Thursday claimed to have found a closed gate and only a cow grazing in the deserted compound of the said facility.

The SHA boss expressed the government’s commitment to upholding transparency in the health sector, urging media outlets to adhere to accuracy and conduct due diligence in their reporting.

“These claims are false, misleading, and undermine basic principles of responsible journalism such as accuracy, fairness, and balance,” she noted.

“We urge media outlets to exercise basic due diligence and fact-checking before publication. A simple verification with the SHA or the Homa Bay County Department of Health would have clarified the distinction between Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital (an operational facility with active claims), and the uncommissioned structure visited by journalists.”

According to Dr Mwangangi, the abandoned structure shown in the media is one of the incomplete facilities built by a former County administration and had never been contracted by SHA and has no transacting rights.

"The disbursement of Ksh.19,998,720 represents legitimate and accumulated claims duly processed in line with SHA’s strict verification and payment protocols," she stated.

"To date, the facility has received Ksh.751,504 under Primary Health Care (PHC) and Ksh..82,080,706 under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), all acknowledged by the facility. These are accumulated payments from October 2024."

A post of a seemingly abandoned ‘Nyandiwa Health Centre’ with a green gate in West Kamagak Ward in Homa Bay, which has been doing rounds across the internet, had gone viral after claims that SHA had been wiring millions to the facility.