Residents of Kirinyaga will soon have access to specialised treatment closer to home after Governor Anne Waiguru announced that construction of the Kianyaga Level 4 Hospital is complete and the facility will be commissioned before the end of 2026.

Waiguru, who toured the new medical complex on Friday, said the county was now equipping the 140-bed facility ahead of opening its doors. The hospital is designed to serve about 300 patients a day.

Services on offer

The facility, upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4 status, will offer a wide range of services that residents have until now had to seek elsewhere. They include:

  • A maternity wing with prenatal and postnatal care and kangaroo mother care for premature babies
  • A Newborn Unit
  • Surgical wards and operating theatres
  • An accident and emergency section
  • Diagnostic laboratory services
  • Outpatient and inpatient care

County officials say the hospital will reduce the number of patients referred to Kerugoya County Referral Hospital, which serves as the main referral point for the county.

A campaign promise delivered

Waiguru described the project as the fulfilment of a pledge she made while seeking a second term in 2022, saying it forms part of her wider plan to transform health services across the county. The upgrade of the Kianyaga facility was first announced in 2021.

"There could be those who doubted whether I would deliver but you can now see I have delivered the development promise," the governor said.

Politics on the sidelines

The tour also turned political. Waiguru urged Mt Kenya residents to back President William Ruto's re-election bid in 2027, arguing that voters should judge leaders on their development record rather than party affiliation, and reiterated her interest in becoming the President's running mate.

"I have finished my two terms and now I want to go up," she said.

Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami and Kirinyaga Central MP Gachoki Gitari, who accompanied her, endorsed the bid. Mukami described the governor as "tested and proven" and called for more women in the country's top leadership.

Once operational, Kianyaga will join a growing list of county facilities upgraded to Level 4 as devolved governments seek to bring specialised care closer to residents and take pressure off congested referral hospitals.

Photos: KBC; Citizen Digital. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.