NAIROBI — May 2, 2026 — Dr. Job Obwaka had spent more than five decades guiding new life into the world, his steady hands delivering generations of Kenyans in the very city where, ironically, his own life would end—not in a blaze of honor, but shrouded in mystery and political intrigue.
The 83-year-old obstetrician and Nairobi Hospital board director died on Friday evening at 7:00 pm, rushed unconscious to the same hospital where he had once held admitting privileges. His wife, Everose Obwaka, later confirmed the death, marking the close of a medical career that had recently been overshadowed by a contentious arrest and an ongoing governance crisis at one of East Africa's most prestigious medical institutions.
But Dr. Obwaka’s obituary is not merely a record of dates and degrees. It is the story of a dedicated medical doctor whose legacy has become entangled in a complex web of boardroom battles, disputed leadership, unanswered questions about hospital governance—and ultimately, what colleagues are calling a preventable tragedy.
A Medical Giant’s Quiet Service
Born into a generation that would witness Kenya’s journey from colony to independent nation, Obwaka’s path to medicine was as rigorous as it was distinguished. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Nairobi in 1975. Eight years later, in 1983, he added a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology—specialist training that would define his professional identity for decades to come.
For more than forty years, Dr. Obwaka operated from his practice at the Gilead Women’s Centre in the NSSF Building on Bishops Road. There, he provided comprehensive prenatal care, managed complex labor and delivery cases, performed Caesarean sections, and offered family planning and reproductive health guidance to thousands of women. Colleagues remember him as a meticulous clinician who never rushed a consultation and who mentored younger doctors with patience.
Beyond his clinical work, Obwaka served as an admitting consultant at Nairobi Hospital. His role on the board of directors placed him at the center of healthcare leadership in Kenya, where he also served through the Kenya Hospital Association, the body that runs Nairobi Hospital.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, in his official tribute, noted that Obwaka’s work significantly strengthened standards of care and improved outcomes in maternal and reproductive health services across the country. “We honour his distinguished service and commitment to humanity,” Duale said.
The Arrest That Shook the Medical Fraternity
But just six weeks before his death, Dr. Obwaka found himself at the center of a storm that would shatter his final months.
On the morning of March 14, 2026, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) descended upon the NSSF Building parking bay on Bishops Road. According to multiple accounts, officers in a Subaru vehicle pounced on the 83-year-old doctor as he arrived to see his patients. He was not allowed to park his car. His mobile phone was confiscated and switched off, throwing his family into hours of panic before they learned he was being held at Muthaiga Police Station.
What was the charge? Dr. Obwaka, alongside three other senior officials—including Vice Chairman Samson Kinyanjui and former board chairman Dr. Chris Bichage—was accused of falsifying the register of members of a savings and credit cooperative affiliated with the Kenya Hospital Association. According to the State, the alleged offense fell under Section 320 of the Penal Code, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum one-year jail term.
Yet legal experts noted that such charges are typically bailable. Despite this, authorities reportedly declined to release Obwaka on cash bail, citing unspecified “instructions from above”. The octogenarian medics spent three nights in police custody.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) immediately condemned the arrest. “Dr Obwaka was not present at the time when the alleged irregularities in these records are said to have occurred,” Secretary General Dr. Davji Atella argued, “raising serious questions about the basis and fairness of the accusations”.
The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) went further, describing the arrest as deeply troubling. KMA President Simon Kigundu warned that such actions could create fear among healthcare professionals, particularly those involved in governance roles. “Doctors dedicate their lives to saving lives and should not become targets of intimidation,” Kigundu said.
Even political figures weighed in. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged that the detention was part of a scheme to force the board members into resigning and clear the way for a State-backed takeover of Nairobi Hospital.
A Collapse in Court and a Slow Decline
On March 16, 2026—two days after his arrest—Dr. Obwaka appeared at Milimani Law Courts alongside his co-accused. All pleaded not guilty and were released on a personal bond of Sh5 million each.
But the damage had been done. While awaiting proceedings that day, the elderly doctor collapsed. An ambulance from Nairobi Hospital was called to the courts to stabilize him before he was rushed to the facility’s intensive care unit.
According to lawyer and former Law Society of Kenya president Nelson Havi, Dr. Obwaka had been in frail health for several years following open surgery. “His condition escalated due to the frustrations by the government to take over the Nairobi Hospital management,” Havi claimed. “Dr Obwaka’s condition has never been the same since being taken to court”.
For six weeks following his collapse, the veteran doctor received medical care. His condition, however, never improved. On Friday evening, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the same hospital where generations of Kenyans had come to trust his care.
The Battle for Nairobi Hospital’s Soul
Dr. Obwaka’s death cannot be separated from the broader governance war that has consumed Nairobi Hospital for months. The institution—a Level 6 referral facility and one of the crown jewels of Kenya’s private healthcare sector—has been torn apart by rival board factions battling for control.
Court cases, suspended meetings, and allegations of missing billions have deepened the standoff. Just last month, the hospital’s leadership was again thrown into turmoil when a faction led by Prof. Herman Manyora claimed board chairmanship, while another faction insisted that Dr. Barcley Onyambu held the legitimate position.
Dr. Obwaka, caught in the crossfire, had remained defiant. According to his son, Dr. Chris Obwaka, the veteran medic was in good spirits just hours before his court collapse, even as he spent nights in a police cell. “The police have been very courteous,” the son had told media at the time. But the dignity of a cell is no place for an 83-year-old doctor who spent a lifetime bringing life into the world.
A Legacy Interrupted
The Kenya Medical Association’s warning in March now reads like prophecy: the criminalization of medical leaders through governance disputes, it said, could have tragic consequences. For Dr. Obwaka, those consequences have arrived.
His death comes just as the government, through CS Duale, has offered official condolences. But many in the medical fraternity are asking pointed questions: Why was an 83-year-old doctor arrested over a misdemeanor? Why was bail denied on “instructions from above”? And could the stress and humiliation of those events have contributed to a preventable death?
Dr. Obwaka leaves behind his wife, Everose, children including Dr. Chris Obwaka, and a medical community that respected him across generations.
He also leaves behind a warning: that when governance disputes turn into criminal prosecutions of elderly doctors, the line between justice and harassment blurs. And sometimes, tragically, the victim may die before the verdict is read.