Senate Probes Chuka Hospital Over SHA Claim Discrepancies

The Senate Committee on County Public Investments and Special Funds, chaired by Senator Peris Tobiko, on Monday met Governor Muthomi Njuki and his executive team to review Auditor-General reports on county entities, including water services, municipalities, and hospitals, with particular focus on Chuka County Referral Hospital.

Senator Tobiko expressed concern over persistent weaknesses in hospital governance, revenue management, asset oversight, and internal audits.

“These are not isolated audit queries. They point to systemic failures that must be addressed decisively to protect public funds and service delivery,” she said.

The Committee noted cross-cutting issues at Chuka Hospital, including gaps in revenue verification, data accuracy, and internal controls. Special attention was given to discrepancies in claims submitted to the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The Auditor-General’s report highlighted significant variances between amounts claimed by the hospital and amounts approved by SHA, citing clerical errors, inadequate documentation, and non-adherence to SHA tariff guidelines.

Senator Beth Syengo warned that the issue could not be dismissed as routine mistakes.

“When a hospital submits claims running into hundreds of thousands and what is approved is drastically lower, that borders on a scandal. This Committee must be satisfied that these were genuine mistakes and not systemic abuse,” she said.

Governor Njuki acknowledged the concerns, attributing the discrepancies to documentation gaps during claims submission.

“We accept responsibility. The hospital has since resubmitted corrected SHA claims, trained billing staff, and strengthened internal verification processes to prevent recurrence,” he said.

The Committee directed the County Executive to provide evidence of corrective measures and said it would closely monitor implementation and verify results in the next audit cycle.