Moi Teaching Hospital on the spot for Sh930,000 irregular intern payments

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture has raised concerns over irregular salary advances amounting to Sh930,000 issued to medical interns by Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

During a meeting with hospital officials led by CEO Dr. Philip Kirwa, the committee, chaired by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, questioned why the advances were issued to interns who had been contracted for less than 12 months, which goes against the hospital’s human resource policy.

The Auditor-General’s report revealed that Sh 890,000 of the amount had remained unpaid for more than a year, with no proof that efforts had been made to recover it.

"The hospital might not recover the amount of Sh930,000 advanced to interns," the audit report warned, noting that the debt had weakened the integrity of the hospital’s total salary advance balance of Sh4.2 million, part of a larger debt portfolio of Sh1.3 billion as of June 2020.

Dr. Kirwa explained that the advances were offered to interns due to delays in salary processing by the Ministry of Health.

"The interns are posted by the Ministry of Health, and due to delays in salary processing, we offer salary advances to support their upkeep. Most of these are recovered before the interns complete their terms," said Dr. Kirwa.

"However, in rare cases where interns fail to clear procedurally, we pursue recovery through the Ministry and county governments."

He told the committee that internal controls had since been strengthened to prevent such issues, especially during the clearance process.

But some committee members expressed frustration with the hospital’s response. Vice-Chairperson Caleb Amisi said the matter pointed to deeper issues that should be investigated further.

"There’s something wrong, whether it’s people who were there before. Why don’t we call those who were responsible? This is pure theft," the MP remarked.

Nominated MP Jackson Kosgei also criticised the way the hospital presented its responses.

"The way these responses have been presented is too casual for such serious matters," he said.

The committee directed MTRH to hold a joint session with the Auditor-General’s office, together with its finance and procurement teams, and return with a unified and credible response.

"We want to give you time to sit down and come back with solid answers that can help us close these matters," Wangwe said.