Raila Clash With Nyong’o Over Hospital Job.

By GATONYE GATHURA

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o are on a collision course over the leadership of a hospital.

This follows a directive by Mr Odinga at a public function in Nandi last month for Prof Nyong’o to reinstate Prof Harun Mengech as the chief executive officer of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Prof Nyong’o says in a letter to the PM that the hospital, headed by Prof Mengech since its opening, is in a financial and administrative crisis and requires new leadership.

The minister wants permission to find a new executive for the 800-bed facility through a “competitive and transparent process.”

“Following the expiry of the contract of the immediate former director/chief executive officer, my ministry is in the process of recruiting a new head for the hospital,” wrote Prof Nyong’o.

The letter goes on to appraise the PM on Prof Mengech’s 12-year term at the hospital, which the minister says has failed to meet its financial obligations despite its budget being doubled in the last six years.

“The main reason for this has been the employment of staff beyond the approved 2,700. The hospital has a current staff complement of over 3,000 and an additional 220 on casual engagement,” says Prof Nyong’o.

He further explains that the Auditor-General and Efficiency Monitoring Unit are already auditing the hospital, which has been finding it difficult to pay for medical supplies.

“The above investigations notwithstanding, the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission is also investigating allegations against Prof Mengech of abuse of office, nepotism and staff matters,” says the letter.

It says that in March last year, Prof Mengech’s contract was extended for one year to allow for a smooth transition and to provide “time to source a new chief executive”.

This process was set in motion and after interviews, the board recommended that the 66-year-old professor be reappointed.

The minister rejected this decision and ordered that the process be done afresh.

Prof Nyong’o says the process was not competitive as only four people were in the running for the job.

The minister then appointed Dr Omar Aly to act for six months and the post has been re-advertised.

On Tuesday, councillors from Wareng and Nandi staged demonstrations demanding the reinstatement of Prof Mengech.

Gatonye works For Nation Media.

To Receive daily jobs In Kenya in your inbox,please subscribe here below. This entry was posted on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 at 10:41 AM and is filed under JOB NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.