The ongoing expansion of Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital in Othaya, Nyeri County, is set to strengthen specialised healthcare services for patients across the greater Mount Kenya region, with the facility serving as a referral centre for 11 counties.

The expansion comes as the hospital continues to handle patients referred from across the region, easing the pressure on other referral facilities and reducing the need for patients to travel to Nairobi for specialised diagnostic and treatment services.

Othaya Member of Parliament Mbugua Wainaina said the expansion was necessary to increase the hospital’s capacity and enable it to accommodate more patients requiring specialised care.

“The hospital serves people from 11 counties. Its capacity was becoming inadequate, and some patients had to be referred elsewhere for services that should ideally be available at a referral hospital,” Wainaina said.

The development follows the expansion of diagnostic and treatment services at the facility, including the installation of critical equipment such as a CT scanner, MRI, dialysis machines and an echocardiography machine.

Wainaina said the availability of the equipment had significantly reduced the need to transfer patients to Nairobi for services that can now be accessed at the hospital.

Previously, patients requiring CT scans, for instance, could be transported by ambulance to Nairobi before being returned to Mwai Kibaki Hospital for further treatment. The expanded diagnostic capacity is intended to keep more of these services within the region.

The latest construction is adding further capacity to the hospital. The project, which commenced in April, is being implemented under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces, with the target of completing the facility by December.

Wainaina commended the teams working on the project, noting that construction has continued at a fast pace as the deadline approaches.

“The progress is very good. The teams are working day and night, and we are confident the December target will be met,” he said.

Beyond the infrastructure, the project is also creating employment opportunities for residents of Othaya and surrounding areas.

Elizabeth Waigumo, a resident of Kiangada in Othaya who has worked at the construction site for three months, the project has provided a more reliable source of income.

“I had been looking for casual work here and there, but opportunities were not easy to find. Since I started working here, I have been able to pay school fees, provide food for my family and meet other household needs,” she said.

Waigumo’s experience reflects the wider economic impact of major public infrastructure projects, which create opportunities for local workers while expanding essential services.

With construction advancing and the hospital’s diagnostic capacity already enhanced, the expansion is expected to further consolidate Mwai Kibaki Hospital’s role as a key referral facility for Nyeri and the wider Mount Kenya region.

Thousands of patients who depend on the hospital say the development is ultimately about more than a new structure; it is about bringing specialised care closer to home and increasing the hospital’s capacity to serve a growing regional population.