Heavenly mission, earthly war: Doctor, nuns fight for hospitals

About 28 years ago, an American priest and physician, William Charles Fryda, embarked on a noble mission to provide compassionate, affordable health care to Kenya’s vulnerable and low-income communities.

What began as a shared vision with the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi (ASN) has evolved into one of the country’s most protracted and bitter legal disputes over the ownership and control of St Mary’s Mission hospitals in Lang’ata, Nairobi, and Elementaita near Gilgil in Nakuru County.

In the mid-1990s, the Consolata Missionary Sisters, operators of Nazareth Hospital in Tigoni, Kiambu County, invited their counterparts from the Assumption Sisters to consider taking over the facility.

A team from ASN visited the hospital but concluded that the affluent Kiambu community did not align with their core mission of providing health care to the vulnerable and marginalised. The takeover was ruled out.

This decision profoundly impacted Fryda, who was then working at Nazareth Hospital. A cancer specialist trained in the US and affiliated with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Fryda had long dreamed of establishing a hospital dedicated to affordable care for low-income earners.

His vision

Disillusioned by the rejection, he left Nazareth in 1997 to pursue his vision independently. Thus, St Mary’s Mission Hospital was born, initially in Lang’ata, Nairobi, with a branch later established in Elementaita.

Fryda acquired land in 1998 and 2001 using funds he personally sourced from donors in the US and elsewhere.

Since he was a foreigner and could not directly own property under certain restrictions, he registered the parcels temporarily under the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi Registered Trustees (ASNRT), with the understanding that they would be transferred to a newly incorporated company, St Mary’s Mission Hospital Nairobi Ltd, incorporated in 1999 as a company limited by guarantee.

The initial subscribers and directors were ASN sisters, including Sister Teresiah Ndeto. What began as a collaborative effort rooted in shared Catholic values soon devolved into one of Kenya’s most protracted and bitter legal disputes. The harmony fractured around 2009 following a change in ASN leadership, leading to accusations of betrayal, financial mismanagement and outright ownership grabs.

Fryda, who had served as medical director and poured millions into development, found himself sidelined. The sisters claimed the hospitals were solely an ASN project, while Fryda insisted they were held in trust for the company he promoted. The conflict escalated dramatically.

In 2017, the Environment and Land Court in Nakuru, presided over by Justice Sila Munyao, ruled in favour of the ASN, declaring the properties theirs and ordering Fryda to hand over management. Armed police enforced the decision in 2018, evicting Fryda and his staff from both hospitals amid chaos.

The nuns froze bank accounts and accused Fryda of operating secret ones. Criminal charges followed, including conspiracy to defraud, forgery, money laundering and uttering false documents over alleged mishandling of Sh153 million and changes to bank signatories.

Fryda faced arrest, trial and threats of deportation. He was even suspended and later separated from the Maryknoll order for refusing to drop the lawsuits. Witnesses in the criminal case included ASN sisters who had once worked closely with him, portraying Fryda as merely an employee rather than the founder.

Sister Maria Felix Mwikali, a former ASN superior, testified that Fryda had approached them for collaboration after the Nazareth plan failed. Other nuns echoed claims that the hospital concept predated his involvement, dating back to ASN’s founding principles in the 1950s.

Donor funds

Fryda vehemently denied the charges, arguing they were fabricated to pressure him out. He highlighted his role in treating the sisters when ill and sourcing more than Sh651 million in donor funds over 15 years.

Prominent lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi represented him, decrying what he termed powerful forces behind the prosecution. After years of proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the charges, acknowledging that the matter was civil in nature.

Undeterred, Fryda appealed. In a landmark September 2020 ruling, a three-judge Court of Appeal bench comprising Justices Asike-Makhandia, Kathurima M’Inoti and Agnes Murgor overturned the 2017 decision. Neither Fryda nor the ASN could claim personal ownership.

Instead, the properties, LR Nos. 27228, 27229, 9361/10 and Kiine/Rukanga/2846, were to be transferred to St Mary’s Mission Hospital Nairobi Ltd, held in charitable trust exclusively for providing health services to the poor. Any diversion, such as establishing a medical training college, would be void. The company, not individuals or the ASN trustees, was to manage the facilities.

Fryda and the ASN were to jointly oversee the handover. This appeared to settle the dispute, but implementation stalled. Fresh disagreements arose over company governance. Fryda later discovered irregular filings between 2011 and 2022, including Ndeto’s continued status despite her resignation in 2021.

He challenged these filings, arguing they violated the company’s articles.

The latest chapter unfolded in 2025. On December 11, Justice Jacqueline Wayua Mong’are of the Milimani High Court ruled in Fryda’s favour in a miscellaneous application.

New directors

She directed the Registrar of Companies to rectify the register, recognising Ndeto’s resignation and allowing Fryda to nominate new directors and members, including himself, Seth Manera, Paul Njuguna and Patrick Njenga.

The judge emphasised the public interest in implementing prior appellate decisions, invoking Section 862(6) of the Companies Act for consequential orders.

“The Court of Appeal expressly acknowledges that the applicant has a stake in the matters concerning the affairs and operations of the company, including its governance,” Justice Mong’are stated.

She rejected Ndeto’s claims that Fryda had no interest, reaffirming the handover to the company under joint oversight.

Days later, on December 11 and 16, 2025, Fryda and his lawyers wrote to the Business Registration Service demanding immediate compliance. They warned of contempt proceedings, noting that a failed stay application meant no delay was permissible.

As of late December 2025, reports emerged of chaos at the Lang’ata facility, with alleged goons accompanying Fryda’s supporters amid enforcement attempts.

The saga, which has impacted thousands of poor patients who rely on subsidised care, continues to deprive communities of stable health services.

Meanwhile, Fryda found solace after the 2017 eviction by converting a former medical school in Gilgil into St Joseph Rift Valley Hospital in 2019. With a 100-bed capacity and serving more than 120 outpatients daily, it competes directly with the Elementaita branch.

Supported by long-time US donors, the same people from 30 years ago, Fryda continues his mission there.

This tale, from monastic rejection to multibillion-shilling courtroom battles, exposes the human frailties beneath religious vows, including ambition, mistrust and power struggles.

What started as a noble endeavour to heal the poor has wounded many along the way.

Yet, with the recent ruling tilting towards Fryda’s vision of company-led governance for the marginalised, hope flickers that the hospitals may finally fulfil their original purpose without further distraction.