The government is now considering a public-private partnership (PPP) to rescue the stalled National Police Service Level IV Hospital on Mbagathi Way, the Sh1.2 billion project that has remained idle for months despite being fully constructed and equipped.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Thursday said a Sh1 billion pending bill had crippled efforts to operationalise the facility, forcing the State to explore alternative management options even as criticism mounts over its continued closure.
“We have a huge pending bill of Sh1 billion for the hospital, and we have been trying to see how to go about it. We are in the process of looking for the funds so that we can ensure that the hospital is operational, and one of the options we are considering is managing the hospital under a public-private partnership or through Kenyatta National Hospital,” Mr Murkomen said.
His remarks came amid growing public backlash, particularly on social media, where Kenyans questioned why the government opted to roll out an Sh8 billion healthcare cover under the Social Health Authority (SHA) for police officers in a private hospital while a taxpayer-funded facility lies unused.
At the centre of the impasse is a complex web of unpaid bills, bureaucratic wrangles, and shifting responsibility between government agencies that have left the hospital in limbo long after its completion.
From right: Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja and Commissioner-General of Kenya Prisons Patrick Mwiti Arandu during the launch of Usalama Cover at Avenue Hospital in Nairobi on April 2, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
According to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s 2023/2024 report, Sh833.6 million remains unpaid to the contractor, in addition to an initial Sh400 million that had been disbursed at the start of construction.
The audit further reveals that although the construction and equipping of the hospital were completed in the 2022/2023 financial year, the facility was still not operational by November last year, even as recruitment of staff had already begun.
“The construction and equipping of the hospital were completed… [but] the hospital was not in operation at the time of audit,” the report notes.
The delays have largely been attributed to a protracted dispute between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior and National Administration over who should bear responsibility for settling the outstanding payments.
The Ministry of Defence, which oversaw the construction and equipping of the hospital, formally handed over the facility to the Interior Ministry in May 2024. However, attempts by the contractor to have Defence absorb the pending costs were declined, triggering a stalemate that has dragged on for months.
National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi on April 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
In a bid to resolve the impasse, a high-level meeting held in March last year at the Department of Defence headquarters brought together senior officials from both ministries, led by Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya and her Interior counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen.
The meeting resolved to establish a joint technical committee to address the thorny issue of pending payments and facilitate the hospital’s operationalisation.
“Additionally, the status of the National Police Service Level IV Hospital in Mbagathi, Nairobi, was reviewed. The Ministry of Defence oversaw the hospital’s construction and equipping before handing it over to the Interior Ministry in May 2024. The facility will provide healthcare services to the National Police Service, Kenya Defence Forces and their dependents. To ensure its full operationalisation, the meeting established a Joint MoD-NPS Technical Committee,” Ms Tuya said at the time.
Cabinet Secretary for Defence Soipan Tuya.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The meeting was attended by top security leadership, including Chief of the Defence Forces General Charles Kahariri, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Vice Chief of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General John Omenda, Kenya Army Commander Lieutenant General David Tarus and Principal Secretaries Patrick Mariru (Defence) and Dr Raymond Omollo (Interior), among others.
Despite the formation of the committee, little progress has been made close to a year later.
“We need to be innovative and that is why we are exploring many alternatives for the hospital and whether we work with the Kenyatta National Hospital,” Mr Murkomen said.
The continued delay has left a fully equipped 130-bed facility lying idle, even as police officers across the country struggle to access healthcare services.
National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi on April 6,2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
The Mbagathi hospital was intended to provide specialised medical services exclusively to members of the disciplined services, mirroring the Armed Forces Memorial Hospital model that caters to military personnel.
Its non-operational status has therefore created a glaring gap in healthcare provision for police officers and their families. It has also left the neighbouring Mbagathi Hospital overwhelmed.
The project was formally handed over on May 17, 2023, by then Defence Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale to then interior counterpart Kithure Kindiki, raising expectations that it would soon begin offering services.
Nearly three years later, those expectations remain unmet.
The stalled hospital is not an isolated case. In Kitui County, another facility, the Border Police Unit camp hospital in Kanyonyo, also remains non-operational despite being commissioned by President William Ruto in 2023.
The hospital, constructed through welfare fund contributions by Administration Police officers, was designed to serve personnel injured in militia-prone areas, yet it too has failed to open its doors.
