Kenyatta hospital appoints Evanson Kamuri as CEO

Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO |

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has appointed Dr Evanson Kamuri as the chief executive officer following the exit of Lily Koros.

The appointment was confirmed by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Nairobi Branch Secretary Dr Thuranira Kaugiria in a tweet.

“Finally the @KNH_hospital has a substantive Chief Executive Officer. Congratulations Dr @kamurie1 on your confirmation, “ he said.

Dr Kamuri has been working in an acting capacity after Dr Thomas Mutie, who took over from Ms Koros, was sent on terminal leave.

Ms Koros was suspended as hospital’s CEO and later hired as Administration Secretary at the Health ministry.

Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki sent Ms Koros on compulsory leave in March last year following a neurosurgery mistake that ended up in brain surgery being performed on the wrong patient.

At the time, the suspension elicited an uproar from a section of Rift Valley MPs who threatened to impeach Ms Kariuki.

The former KNH boss was appointed to the helm of Kenya’s largest referral hospital in February 2014.

She had worked as a hospital administrator at an institution run by the Africa Inland Church in Litein and at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.

After her transfer in December, Thomas Mutie was named acting CEO.

The hospital had advertised the CEO’s position through consultancy firm Deloitte but the process was halted after a rights group moved to court citing discrimination in the hiring procedure.

The institution is facing a management crisis with other top management positions filled on a temporary basis for indefinite time pending substantive appointments.

Some key offices whose functions have significant impact on the running of the hospital such as director of clinical services are headed by individuals in an acting capacity.