Mudavadi, Bishop Obanyi engage in war of words over SHA payment
Western
By
Benard Lusigi
| Sep 01, 2025
Catholic Bishop Joseph Obanyi has dismissed Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi's claims that St Mary's Mission Hospital had paid Sh82 million to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Bishop Obanyi, in charge of the Kakamega and Vihiga Dioceses, said the mission hospital has received Sh9 million out of Sh140 claims owed by SHA.
On Thursday, Mudavadi sparked a storm when he publicly announced that SHA has paid St Mary's Mission Hospital Sh82 million out of the Sh117 million it is owed.
St Mary's Hospital closed its doors due to unpaid claims from the SHA totalling Sh143 million, making it unable to run its operations.
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Mudavadi posted a report he said was from the Ministry of Health showing that the hospital received Sh92.9 million from SHA, with the recent disbursement of Sh4.8 million in August 2025.
The report shows Sh5.7 million was paid under the Primary Healthcare Fund, a total of Sh98.9 million for the period from November 2024 to August 2025 under the three vote heads.
Further, it shows that claims amounting to Sh10.2 million have been returned to the facility due to incompleteness and missing documents.
The other Sh11.4 million was rejected due to various reasons, and the report urged the hospital to address the various gaps raised and engage SHA on the way forward.
“Close to Sh14.8 million received by the facility in July and August 2025 was reportedly used to settle staff salary arrears,” the report posted by PCS Mudavadi reads in part.
Mudavadi challenged the hospital’s management to come out and tell the public the truth on what led to the closure of the facility, attributing its woes to mismanagement.
“Those politicians using podiums to say that the government is behind the troubles facing St Mary’s Hospital in Mumias are misleading the people.
"The hospital put forward a claim of Sh117 million under the SHA programme, and so far, they have received Sh82 million in payment,” said Mudavadi.
He added, “The government, through the Ministry of Health, has the records, and I am a witness. I have a copy of the records. If they want to dispute and bring on an argument, I am ready to produce the evidence of what they received in November and December last year and the subsequent payments under the SHA programme."
However, on Friday, Bishop Obanyi dismissed Mudavadi's claims, stating that the hospital has only received Sh9 million since June this year.
"We have received about Sh9 million designated for the renal unit, and therefore the hospital has not received any money that we can say has come from the claims made to SHA," said Obanyi.
He added, "Talking about the Sh82 million that has been disbursed and that the hospital is still closed is pure politics. This is not the government hospital. it is a mission hospital that serves the poor."
Obanyi said SHA owes the hospital Sh143 million from the time NHIF ceased operating and paved the way for SHA, and it has only processed Sh39 million, which is still under verification.
SHA Chairman Abdi Mohamed could not confirm if the report by Mudavadi St Mary's Mumias Mission Hospital was authentic, saying it was only the management that could do so.
"The best people to confirm will be the management. Let me forward the message to them," said Abdi when the Standard contacted him.
The hospital's staff received email notifications from the Human Resources department on July 1, 2025, telling them not to report for work until further notice.