Governor Barasa hails Ruto’s pledge to equip Butere County Hospital

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has welcomed President William Ruto’s commitment to equip the newly commissioned Butere County Hospital.

President Ruto said the facility will be equipped under the National Equipment Service Program (NESP), designed to ensure continuous access to modern medical equipment in county health facilities across the country.

“The national government will spend Sh150 million to equip this hospital, which will be of great help to the people of this constituency and beyond,” Ruto said.

Governor Barasa lauded the move, noting that it would boost the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program.

“I committed to completing all projects initiated by my predecessor, Wycliffe Oparanya, because service delivery is my priority. This facility will now serve the people of the southern part of Kakamega,” Barasa said.

He made the remarks while joining President Ruto in officially commissioning the Butere County Hospital in Butere Constituency.

Construction of the hospital began in 2022 to address challenges in accessing quality healthcare in Butere, Mumias, Khwisero, and Matungu constituencies.

“I thank President Ruto for his commitment to release another Sh1 billion to finish the Kakamega Referral Hospital. People will now seek full medical services here in Kakamega in nine months,” Barasa added.

Former Governor Oparanya also thanked Barasa for completing the project, which he initiated in 2022.

The NESP was launched following the expiry of the Medical Equipment Service (MES) program in December 2023.

Building on the successes of MES, NESP allows vendors to supply, maintain, and upgrade medical equipment at no upfront cost to counties.

Payments are made based on services rendered under the Fee-for-Service (FFS) model.

President Ruto is on a four-day working tour of the Western region that will take him to Kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga counties.

During the tour, he is expected to launch various development projects across the four counties.

The visit will conclude with a church service at Boyani in Vihiga County.

President Ruto is expected to launch several infrastructure projects during the tour, including the Malava–Samitsi–Navakholo road and the Airstrip–Shinyalu–Chepsonoi road.

The projects are part of the national government’s plan to improve road connectivity and spur economic growth in Western Kenya.

The President’s visit is part of his ongoing countrywide development tours aimed at assessing progress on government projects and reinforcing his administration’s pledge to equitable development.

On Tuesday, Ruto was in Baringo to launch several projects before proceeding to Nakuru on Wednesday.