Military to help complete stalled Sh6.2 billion Kakamega hospital

The Kenya Defence Forces will be involved in the completion of the stalled Sh6.2 billion Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital, Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has said.

He said the national government has agreed to put in Sh500 million and the county government another Sh300 million for the completion and equipping of the first phase of the facility.

“It’s a government-to-government collaborative framework where the military will bring in engineers while the county government and the contractor will coordinate the technical team. The hospital will be complete and operational in the next eight months,” Savula said.

A technical team from KDF, led by Lt Col Joash Mommanyi, conducted an inspection of the hospital site.

The team is expected to compile and forward a detailed report to President William Ruto to inform the next phase of the project.

Once operational, the facility is expected to ease congestion in regional hospitals, strengthen emergency services, enhance medical research and create job opportunities for professionals and residents.

Savula said negotiation for involvement of the military in the completion of the hospital was done by Governor Fernandes Barasa and Defence CS Soipan Tuya.

The deputy governor spoke at the Kakamega County Funeral Parlour, where he received the body of Doreen Amwoga who was the Kakamega chief officer for education. She died on Tuesday morning.

Savula said the county is actively engaging state agencies to unlock pending flagship projects.

“We are working closely with strategic partners to complete key infrastructural projects that have been pending for too long. The hospital is essential to improving access to healthcare in the region and beyond,” he said.

The Sh6.2 billion, 750-bed hospital stalled over four years ago after the county government failed to pay completion certificates. The contractor stopped the work and pulled out of the site.

Once completed, the hospital will serve as a referral facility for specialised treatment for patients for the former Western province.

Currently, patients from Vihiga, Bungoma, Busia and Kakamega counties seeking specialised medication have to travel to either Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret or Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.