The Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital’s (KUTRRH) board has appointed Isaac Irungu Kamau as the acting CEO until further notice.
In the appointment seen by the Star, the decision follows the Board’s decision to allow Ahmed Dagane to proceed on leave.
“Following a resolution by the Board in a meeting held on 28th November 2024, to allow the Chief Executive Officer to proceed on leave, you are hereby appointed to the position of Acting Chief Executive Officer (Ag. CEO) with immediate effect from the date of this letter,” the letter by Chairperson Prof Olive Mugenda reads.
“Your appointment will remain in effect until further notice. You will be paid appropriate allowances as the Ag. Chief Executive Officer. We wish you well and the Board of Directors looks forward to efficient and effective service delivery,” it adds.
Prior to the appointment, Irungu served as the director of IMIC and Hospital Operations.
The same was confirmed by Mugenda, who did not reveal the reasons why Dagane was proceeding on leave.
In a letter to Dagane, Prof Mugenda said the decision to allow him to proceed on annual leave seeks to enable the KUTRRH board to streamline operations at the hospital for efficiency and effectiveness.
Mugenda noted that during the board meeting held on Thursday, serious concerns were raised regarding the procurement process of the staff medical cover for the years 2024-2025.
Mugenda also added that the board established that several critical board resolutions have not been implemented for unexplained reasons, thus affecting service delivery at the hospital.
"In this regard and in compliance with circular Ref:O P/CAB.2/1 of September 27, 2023. the board found it prudent that you proceed on leave on your accumulated annual leave days for the FY 2023-2024, totalling 25 working days with immediate effect from the date of this letter," Mugenda said in a letter dated November 28, 2024.
Dagane was appointed the CEO of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital in July 2022.
The Sh8 billion facility became a state corporation under the Health Ministry after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an order to that effect on January 22, 2019.
The facility is run by a CEO and a board of management made up of a non-executive chairperson appointed by the President.
KUTRRH is the third Health ministry parastatal after Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
In September 2023, Members of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education censured Mugenda for appointing Dagane as CEO of the hospital yet he was not trained as a doctor.
Mugenda told the committee that Dagane is a holder of a degree in nursing and has a master's degree in Business Administration.
“The CEO is not a doctor but he is a health professional,” Mugenda told the committee led by Bumula MP Wamboka Wanami.
