Wednesday, November
12, 2025 - A storm is brewing over Nairobi City County’s decision to shift
health facility accounts from Co-operative Bank - a reputable Tier 1
institution - to Sidian Bank, a smaller Tier 3 lender reportedly associated
with President William Ruto.
The directive, issued on November 5th, 2025,
compels all Level 4 and 5 hospitals in the County to cease transactions with
Co-operative Bank and open new accounts with Sidian.
The move follows a County Executive Committee resolution
dated October 28th, yet no public explanation has been offered for
the abrupt change.
Critics, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, have
condemned the decision as suspicious and potentially corrupt.
“The health facilities in Nairobi have been banking with
Cooperative Bank, a tier one Bank with a solid history and reputation.”
"How you wake up one day and direct all of them to move
to a tier 3 bank cannot be explained any other way than that corruption is at
play,” Sifuna posted on X.
Concerns have also been raised over Sidian Bank’s recent
appointment of former Health CS James Macharia as chairman, fueling speculation
about insider influence and conflicts of interest.
Allegations persist that President Ruto holds a significant
stake in Sidian Bank through proxies, further intensifying scrutiny.
Online, Kenyans have questioned whether this directive is linked to political deals - possibly tied to Governor Sakaja’s survival of an impeachment motion earlier this year, quashed following Ruto and the late Raila Odinga’s intervention.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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