Uhuru graced groundbreaking ceremony of National Research and Referral Hospital

On Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta graced the groundbreaking ceremony of the National Research and Referral Hospital.

The hospital will be located at the Kenya Defence Forces Army Barracks in Kabete, Nairobi.

The Level Six referral hospital will have a bed capacity of 700 and will offer specialised health services to the military, security personnel, and the general public.

As part of efforts to achieve the Big 4 Agenda's UHC pillar, the president said that the government was rolling out new health facilities and expanding existing ones across the country.

“Very soon we will be opening some additional hospitals here in Nairobi to cater for our informal settlements. We are upgrading our various hospitals-KNH, MTRH, building new hospitals at KU as well as a number of other hospital facilities that we shall be opening across the country to ensure that our people have access to healthcare which I believe is a foundation of a sound health secure and prosperous nation,” he said.

Defence CS Monica Juma said the new hospital will not only add to the President's growing list of legacy projects but also help in the improvement of the health sector thereby enhancing the nation's productivity.

“I express our gratitude for your strategic vision in conceiving this project. Within the security service, the most important asset are the people, it is the human capacity and this level six hospital will go a long way to ensure that our forces across the security sector are ready to deliver on the constitutional mandate to protect the territorial integrity of this nation and to provide security for our citizens,” Juma said.

Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi said the completion of the hospital will contribute immensely to the wellbeing of the country's security personnel by providing specialised medical services.