Advancing ahead of schedule, construction on the Mwai Kibaki Clinical Annex at Othaya’s Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital in Nyeri County stands at approximately 30% complete.
The expansion, which commenced in April 2026, is expected to be completed within one year and is set to significantly increase the hospital’s capacity to provide specialised healthcare services to patients from Nyeri and the wider region.
The approximately 1,178-square-metre facility comprises a four-storey building and a basement, and will include specialist clinics, a laboratory and a blood unit. The expansion comes as Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital continues to record a high patient turnout, with the facility attending to more than 5,000 patients every month.
The additional infrastructure is expected to ease pressure on existing facilities while improving access to specialised medical services for residents of Othaya, Nyeri County and neighbouring counties.
Speaking during the Kenya Health Summit in August, President William Ruto reiterated his government’s commitment to improving health care and providing health services to all sections of Kenyans, highlighting it as a national mandate and moral duty.
“There are promises governments make because they are popular, others because they are convenient, and then there are promises a nation must keep because they speak to who we are and the country we intend to become. Universal Health Coverage is one such promise.” He said while acknowledging his promise to the nation on better health coverage.
The hospital’s growth also reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen specialised healthcare services and diagnostic capacity at the facility.
According to Othaya Member of Parliament Wambugu Wainaina, the hospital previously faced gaps in access to critical diagnostic equipment, forcing some patients to travel to Nairobi for services such as CT scans.
He noted that the situation has improved following the acquisition of additional equipment and expansion of specialised services, including MRI and CT scan services, dialysis and echocardiography.
The clinical annex is therefore expected to complement these investments by providing additional space for patients and medical services.
Speaking on the project, Sergeant Charity Wanja of the Ministry of Defence said the expansion was conceived as part of efforts to increase the capacity of Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital, which serves as a Level 6 facility.
She said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) team has been mandated to oversee the implementation of the project and ensure that it is delivered on time and to the required quality standards.
“The KDF team has been mandated to oversee the project and to ensure that this work is delivered on time, with quality and to military precision,” she said.
With the project currently ahead of schedule, its completion is expected to mark a major milestone in the transformation of health care in the region.
The increased bed capacity, together with expanded specialist clinics, laboratory and blood services, is expected to improve patient management and reduce the need for residents to seek specialised treatment outside the region.
For Othaya and the wider Nyeri community, the development represents a significant investment in accessible, specialised and higher-level healthcare closer to home.
