John Matsekhe, an American doctor and owner of St. Elizabeth Specialist Hospital in Busia, is facing intense scrutiny after being accused of abandoning a child he allegedly fathered with Kisumu socialite Lydia Oginga.
The backlash has been sharp, with many questioning how a man running a multi-billion medical facility could be accused of neglecting his own son.
Oginga went public through a long thread of Facebook posts that rapidly circulated online.
In the posts, she describes years of emotional and financial neglect and shared screenshots of private WhatsApp conversations that reveal anger, broken promises and recurring disputes over support for their child.
She says Matsekhe strongly encouraged having a baby in early and mid-2019, only to pull back immediately after she confirmed her pregnancy in August that year.
According to her, he acted ready for fatherhood but stepped away as soon as responsibilities became real, all while hiding the fact that he was married.
She says everything changed after the birth of their son, Adon. Matsekhe allegedly cut all communication, ignoring calls, messages and every attempt she made to involve him in the child’s life.
For over three years, she says she raised the boy alone, dealing with silence from him while watching her son show signs of lacking a father figure often seeking attention from men around their neighborhood, including neighbors and boda boda riders.
Oginga describes this as one of the most painful parts of the ordeal.
The screenshots also highlight repeated clashes over money.
She recounts one instance where he sent her KSh 20,000, which she returned, saying she felt humiliated by his attitude. “I was fed up by now.
Whatever I wanted for my son (knowing his dad) was clearly impossible,” she wrote. She maintains that she has been covering rent, food, clothes, medical bills and paying a nanny on her own.
Her only request, she says, was for Matsekhe to help with school fees since she handles nearly everything else.
The exchanges include receipts and messages showing money sent and refunded KSh 20,000, KSh 24,000 and a major confrontation over a KSh 34,000 school trip to Chaka Ranch.
She also asked him for KSh 25,000 to buy a Lenovo Tab M11 for the child, explaining the 4GB RAM and 128GB storage requirements.
The discussion quickly escalated into accusations, with Matsekhe suggesting she wanted to exploit him. He even proposed that her brother should pick and deliver the device if she didn’t want him personally involved.
The tone of the conversation deteriorated almost immediately.
Oginga shared school fee breakdowns showing she had already paid KSh 66,000 out of a KSh 106,000 total, leaving KSh 40,000 plus transport costs.
Her frustration is clear in the messages as she tries to explain the financial strain she faces alone.
At one point, she warned that she was done tolerating disrespect and was ready to take legal steps.
She wrote, “Wewe ni bahati tu ulikuwa nayo I didn’t take you to court or child’s welfare or US Embassy. But am going to something now ndio hii madharau iishe.”
Matsekhe, in the messages, seemed to justify his limited support by pointing to the huge investment he made in establishing the Busia hospital.
But Oginga argues that if he can put massive resources into building such a facility, he should at least meet his obligations to his own child.
She says what she is asking for is simply “the bare minimum.”
The scandal has dented Matsekhe’s public image in Western Kenya, particularly because his hospital brands itself as a community-centered institution.
With Oginga’s posts drawing widespread reactions and discussions, growing numbers of people are questioning his integrity and moral responsibility.
So far, neither Matsekhe nor St. Elizabeth Specialist Hospital has released any formal statement, leaving the controversy unresolved as public pressure continues to mount.
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