A staff member at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital allegedly stole Sh10 million by falsifying patient bills as paid in the eCitizen system while diverting the money to her personal account, prompting an ongoing police and hospital investigation.
A female employee at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret has been accused of siphoning approximately Sh10 million from the facility by manipulating the eCitizen payment platform to falsely mark patient bills as settled while transferring the funds directly into her personal bank account.
The suspect, a senior accounts clerk in the hospital’s revenue collection department, was arrested on February 16, 2026, following a tip-off and internal audit that uncovered irregular transactions spanning 14 months from late 2024 to January 2026. Investigators allege she exploited her access to the eCitizen hospital billing module to generate fake payment confirmations for hundreds of patients—mostly those settling large inpatient or surgical bills—while routing the actual cash or mobile payments to her own mobile money wallet or linked bank account.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wilson Komen confirmed the arrest and said the matter was reported to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) immediately after the discrepancies were flagged. “We discovered the irregularities during a routine reconciliation of eCitizen receipts against bank deposits,” Dr. Komen said. “The suspect allegedly created fictitious ‘paid’ statuses for bills ranging from Sh50,000 to over Sh500,000, allowing patients to leave without suspicion while the funds never reached hospital accounts.”
The fraud is believed to have targeted vulnerable patients, including those undergoing emergency surgery, cancer treatment and maternity services, who often pay large sums upfront. Hospital records show more than 380 patient accounts were falsely cleared, with the diverted amount averaging Sh26,000 per manipulated bill.
DCI detectives from the Financial Crimes Unit in Eldoret said the suspect confessed during preliminary questioning to using multiple mobile wallets and proxy accounts to obscure the trail. “She manipulated the system by issuing manual receipts with fake transaction IDs that appeared legitimate to patients and ward staff,” a senior investigator said. “The money was then quickly withdrawn or transferred to third-party accounts to avoid detection.”
The suspect appeared briefly before the Eldoret Anti-Corruption Court on February 17, 2026, where she was charged with theft by servant, abuse of office, money laundering and computer fraud under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act. She was released on Sh500,000 cash bail or alternative bond of Sh1 million with two sureties of similar amount. The case is set for mention on March 10, 2026.
EACC Regional Director for North Rift, Jane Cherop, said the commission is conducting parallel investigations into possible accomplices within the hospital’s ICT and finance departments. “This is sophisticated fraud that required knowledge of both hospital billing processes and eCitizen workflows,” Cherop said. “We are tracing the money trail and examining whether other staff facilitated or benefited from the scheme.”
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital has since suspended all staff with access to eCitizen billing privileges pending a full forensic audit. The hospital has also introduced dual authorisation for manual overrides and daily reconciliation reports to prevent recurrence. “Patient care remains our priority,” Dr. Komen added. “We have put in place interim manual controls and are working with ICTA to strengthen system security.”
The incident has renewed calls for tighter controls on public hospital revenue collection systems nationwide. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah said: “This case exposes the vulnerability of digital systems when internal controls are weak. Hospitals lose billions annually to insider fraud. We need mandatory rotation of billing staff, real-time audits and whistleblower protection.”
Patients who unknowingly paid into the suspect’s account have been advised to report to the hospital’s revenue office for refunds. The hospital has promised to reimburse affected individuals once the criminal case is concluded and funds recovered.
The case is among a growing number of digital fraud prosecutions involving public institutions since the nationwide rollout of eCitizen payment integration. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has vowed to pursue full asset recovery and prosecute any accomplices.
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