Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Lesiyampe as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
The CS made the announcement in a statement on Monday, August 18, where he emphasized the importance of KNH in the country's healthcare.
"As the apex national referral facility, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) plays a critical role in advancing health sector reforms and achieving Universal Health Coverage. To support this mandate, Dr. Richard Lesiyampe Leserian has been transferred to Act as the Chief Executive Officer of KNH," he said.
Duale noted that Lesiyampe's vast leadership background makes him well-suited to steer KNH as the facility undegoes reforms.
"Dr. Lesiyampe, formerly Acting CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), brings vast experience to strengthen KNH's governance, clinical, and administrative systems in line with ongoing reforms," he added.
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The leadership changes will also see Joshua Clinton Ombiri Okise step into a new role at JOOTRH.
"Following this transition, Mr. Joshua Clinton Ombiri Okise has been appointed to act as Chief Executive Officer of JOOTRH. He will oversee a smooth leadership transition and support the JOOTRH continued growth following its recent elevation to Level 6 status," he further said.
Lesiyampe previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu.
Before that, he was the first non-medical Chief Executive Officer of Kenyatta National Hospital.
In his wider public service career, Lesiyampe also held the position of Principal Secretary in the State Department of Agriculture, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries.
This comes barely a month after Duale announced the suspension of NCK CEO Dr. Lister Onsongo over illegal internship placements for 42 Bachelor of Science Nursing students.
In a statement on Monday, July 21, Duale appointed Director of Standards and Compliance Ann Mukuna to oversee the council’s operations on an interim basis.
"In line with this, the Ministry has suspended Dr. Lister Onsongo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya, pending the outcome of a comprehensive internal audit of the full cohort of 2,098 BSc Nursing interns.
"Consequently, I have appointed Ms. Ann Mukuna, Director Standards and Compliance to take over the operations of the Council until further notice," the statement further read.
According to Duale, investigations indicated that the students unlawfully submitted for the internship before completing their academic programs.
He described the incident as a serious breach of regulatory protocol, stating that both the universities involved and the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) disregarded legal and procedural frameworks set by the Public Service Commission and the Nursing Council Act.
"The Ministry of Health has uncovered a serious breach of regulations involving the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) and Ten Public and Private Universities, which unlawfully submitted 42 Bachelor of Science (BSc) Nursing students for internship before the completion of their academic programmes.
"This action is in direct contravention of the Nursing Council Act and the guidelines approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC)," the statement read in part.
