President William Ruto on Tuesday gave Sh1.5 million to help a Dagoretti South family clear an outstanding hospital bill for their son who died abroad.
Speaking during an inspection tour of Mutuini Hospital, the Head of State responded to an appeal made on behalf of the bereaved family, whose son, identified as Frank Mathew, had traveled overseas to seek specialised treatment but later passed away.
His body has remained unrepatriated due to an unsettled medical bill amounting to Sh1.5 million.
“I have been told that he has a bill of Sh1.5 million. This guy is called Gicheru; he is my deputy comptroller, and he will give you the Sh1.5 million to pay for the hospital bill,” President Ruto said to the deceased mother.
The president’s intervention followed a request by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, who urged the government to step in and support the grieving family.
“We have our mom, who had a son called Frank Mathew, who went abroad to seek treatment. We ask for your support in order to repatriate our son’s body back home for burial,” Kiarie said.
The appeal underscored the financial strain faced by families dealing with medical emergencies abroad, particularly when treatment costs accumulate and complicate repatriation processes.
By committing the funds on the spot, the president assured the family that the outstanding bill would be settled, paving the way for the return of the deceased’s body for burial.
President William Ruto having a look at the Architectural drawings of the Mutuini Hospital in Dagoretti South on March 3, 2026./PCSDuring the event, the president also disclosed that the national government had allocated Sh470 million towards the construction and equipping of the Mutuini facility.
The investment, he said, is aimed at expanding access to healthcare services within the constituency and easing pressure on major referral hospitals in Nairobi.
He further announced plans to return to the area at the end of April to officially launch the hospital. The commissioning, he said, would mark a significant milestone in strengthening grassroots healthcare infrastructure and decentralising services from overstretched urban hospitals.
President Ruto noted that once fully operational, the hospital would help reduce congestion in facilities such as Mbagathi Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital, which currently handle high patient volumes from across the city and beyond.
The president reiterated the government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery through sustained investment in county-level facilities, saying the Mutuini project reflects broader efforts to enhance service provision and ensure Kenyans can access quality medical care closer to home.
