A standoff between Mbagathi Hospital and the Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) has left inmates in limbo after the hospital suspended medical services to prisoners over an outstanding debt of Ksh12 million.
In a notice dated August 4, the hospital informed KPS that it would no longer provide services until the arrears were cleared. The debt, which dates back to 2018, has only been partially settled, with Ksh6.7 million paid so far. Hospital management argues that the continued provision of services under these circumstances is financially unsustainable.
The suspension has exposed the wider financial strain on the hospital, which has struggled to afford essential drugs and maintain critical infrastructure. “We have made repeated efforts to recover the debt with no success,” the hospital management noted, adding that operations risk being compromised if funds remain unrecovered.
As a result, prisoner referrals to Mbagathi Hospital have been halted, forcing KPS to seek alternative healthcare providers. The move has raised concerns about the welfare of inmates, particularly those with chronic conditions who rely on consistent medical attention.
The impasse reflects a growing trend of government institutions sinking into debt, disrupting service delivery. Treasury data from 2024 revealed that 28 state-owned enterprises defaulted on Ksh266.5 billion in Treasury-guaranteed loans, liabilities the government has since absorbed. In response, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced earlier this year that parastatals with pending bills would be barred from accessing new debt.
KPS itself has faced scrutiny beyond financial woes. A recent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) report flagged systemic graft within the service, noting that money collected from inmates by officers often disappeared without trace once prisoners were released.
For now, uncertainty clouds the fate of prisoners’ healthcare, with the standoff intensifying calls for reforms in the management of public institutions. As negotiations between KPS and Mbagathi drag on, the immediate risk is borne by inmates citizens whose right to health is constitutionally protected, but now jeopardized by institutional debt and financial mismanagement.
