The High Court has ordered Salome Muhia, the Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department of Correctional Services, to appear before it on October 17, 2025, over an unsettled Ksh12 million hospital bill owed to Mbagathi Hospital for the treatment of inmates.
The court’s directive follows her earlier failure to comply with a ruling issued on September 12, requiring her to ensure that the Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) pays at least Ksh10 million of the pending amount within two weeks. The PS was also instructed to file a sworn affidavit confirming the payment by September 26, but the court noted that no such submission had been made.
According to court documents, the correctional department has been struggling with outstanding medical bills dating back to 2018, despite multiple reminders from Mbagathi Hospital. The hospital accuses the department of only settling Ksh6.7 million out of the total amount, leaving Ksh5.3 million unpaid and straining its daily operations.
“The delayed remittance has severely affected our ability to provide medical care to inmates referred from prisons,” a senior Mbagathi Hospital administrator stated.
Earlier, on September 8, Justice Bahati Mwamuye directed the hospital to resume treatment for inmates referred by the Kenya Prisons Service, stressing that denying medical attention to prisoners violated their fundamental rights. The judge also observed that many inmates had been deprived of essential healthcare since August 4, when the hospital suspended services over the unpaid debt.
During a parliamentary appearance on April 9, PS Muhia admitted that her department operates under an extremely constrained budget. She revealed that prisons are allocated only Ksh192 per inmate per day, far below the Ksh275 required to meet basic needs such as food and healthcare.
“What we receive barely covers a loaf of bread and a cup of porridge,” Muhia told MPs, emphasizing the financial strain within correctional institutions.
The upcoming court session will determine whether the PS is in contempt for failing to adhere to previous court directives. The case highlights the wider issue of unpaid government hospital bills, a problem that continues to cripple healthcare services across Kenya.
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Correctional Services PS Salome Muhia has been summoned to court over a Ksh12 million unpaid medical bill owed to Mbagathi Hospital. The High Court seeks answers on why inmates’ treatment costs remain unsettled since 2018.
