State takes over construction of Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital

President William Ruto has announced that the national government has officially taken over the construction of the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The President said the government has allocated Sh2 billion for the completion of the project, which is expected to be finalised within ten months.

Speaking on Sunday after inspecting the ongoing works, Ruto said the government will not only complete the construction but also upgrade the facility to a national referral hospital to serve the entire Western region.

“I have told my brother Governor Fernandes Barasa that because this is a big facility, he should leave it to me to complete so that the people of Kakamega can have access to a Level Six hospital,” Ruto said.

The Head of State emphasised that the hospital will be fully equipped with modern medical equipment, noting that the decision to elevate it to national referral status is aimed at expanding access to advanced healthcare services across Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma, Busia, and neighbouring counties.

President Ruto was accompanied by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya and Deborah Barasa, as well as Governor Fernandes Barasa.

He directed the contractor to employ an adequate number of young people to ensure the project’s timely completion and promote local job creation during the final construction phase.

Ruto commended former Governor Wycliffe Oparanya for initiating the project in 2016, describing it as a visionary step in improving healthcare in the region.

“Thank you, Mr Oparanya, for thinking big,” he said, adding that the current governor also deserves praise for continuing the work.

“Government is a continuous enterprise. Projects do not belong to individuals; projects belong to the people.”

Governor Barasa reaffirmed the county’s commitment to collaborate with the national government in implementing transformative development programmes that will uplift the livelihoods of the people of Kakamega and the Western region.

The Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital is one of the most ambitious healthcare infrastructure projects in Western Kenya.

Once completed, it will function both as a regional referral and teaching hospital, offering specialised medical services and serving as a training hub for healthcare professionals.

The facility’s design includes modern diagnostic and treatment units, operating theatres, maternity and neonatal wings, intensive care units, and a medical training school.

It will host hundreds of beds and provide specialised services, including oncology, renal dialysis, trauma care, and advanced surgical operations.

The project is expected to significantly reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to cities such as Kisumu, Eldoret, or Nairobi for advanced treatment , marking a major step toward achieving universal healthcare in Kenya.