The people of Nyandiwa in Homa Bay County have been living with frustration and disappointment for decades as they continue to wait for a hospital that has never truly existed.
For years, official records have listed Nyandiwa Level 4 Hospital as a functioning health facility, yet residents insist they have never seen its doors open.
Their voices have grown louder after the Social Health Authority CEO Mercy Mwangangi recently claimed that the hospital has been operational since the 1970s.
This statement has been strongly rejected by locals, who say the building has never served them and that they are forced to travel to Rachuonyo for treatment.
The issue has become more serious after revelations that Nyandiwa Hospital was allocated Ksh20 million in the August 2025 disbursement.
This money, according to government documents, was meant to support hospital operations. But for the people on the ground, there is no hospital to benefit from, only an abandoned structure that remains a ghost project.
Community members say this is not just about misused funds it is about being denied healthcare services they have needed for years.
Residents have spoken with anger and sadness, pointing out how unfair it is for the government to continue channeling money into a project that does not exist in practice. Some have urged the government to either open the hospital or stop including it in funding lists. Videos and photos circulating online show that the facility is only a shell, proving the truth of their claims.
The government’s response has been confusing and contradictory. While the SHA insists that its disbursements are carefully monitored and that Nyandiwa is a functioning facility, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has suggested that the inclusion of the hospital in the list of funded institutions may have been a clerical mistake.
This contradiction has made the situation even worse, fueling suspicion of a cover-up.
Civil society organizations, opposition leaders, and watchdog groups have since taken up the matter, calling for a forensic audit of SHA’s disbursements, investigations into possible fraud, and a clear list of all facilities receiving government support.
They argue that the Nyandiwa case is a clear example of how corruption and negligence have crippled the health sector in Kenya.
For the residents of Nyandiwa, the scandal is deeply personal. They feel betrayed because government documents show millions of shillings going to their hospital, yet they continue to suffer without healthcare.
What they want is simple a working hospital that can serve their needs. Until answers are found and accountability delivered, Nyandiwa will remain a symbol of ghost projects in Kenya, existing on paper but not in reality.
