The government has approved Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
it will be able to perform 960 tests every eight hours.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago and hospital CEO of the Dr Wilson Aruasa said the testing will start next week on Saturday.
Mandago and his colleagues from the North Rift region had asked the government to approve the facility as a testing centre.
"This will help us to quickly test our people, get results and respond accordingly,” Mandago said.
The testing will ease the workload on the National Influenza Center in Nairobi. Experts from the centre in Nairobi are at MTRHl to make preparations for testing.
The testing centre in Eldoret will serve the Western Kenya region. It will be equipped with facilities donated by a Chinese businessman last week.
Kapsabet County Referral Hospital is among those that have set up isolation wards to back up the testing facilities at MTRH.
Medics said social distancing remains the main challenge for many Kenyans to limit spread of the coronavirus.
Dr Aruasa says keeping social distance and regular hand washing are keys to help flatten the curve. He said Kenyans are too careless.
“That is why even[big] funerals were banned so people can adhere to social distancing,” Aruasa said.
Governors in North Rift are proposing they be allowed to directly procure drugs and other supplies instead of relying entirely on the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa).
They have asked procurement laws and procedures limiting counties to purchase only from Kemsa be waived by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic. This will make counties more nimble and able to respond more quickly and effectively.
Counties are strictly enforcing the ban on funerals, allowing only family members to bury their dead within 24 hours of death.
The governors ordered a shutdown of all morgues.
(Edited by V. Graham)
