- Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa announced the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital has reached 90% completion
- The contractor, Plumbing Systems, confirmed the November 30 handover target during a press visit to the construction site
- Governor Barasa said President Ruto is expected to commission the 750-bed facility once equipping is finalised
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has declared that construction of the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital, a Level VI facility, is 90% complete, with the contractor committing to hand over the site by November 30.
Source: Twitter
Barasa made the announcement on Thursday, October 22, during a press tour of the facility, describing the progress as a marked improvement over previous visits.
"As you can see, there is a lot of improvement compared with the last time we were here. The contractor is doing very well. So far, he has done almost 90% of the work. And by the end of November this year, the works will be completed," Barasa said.
A representative from the contractor echoed the governor's assessment at the same event.
"Currently, we are at the ninety percentage of the completion. The remaining, we are doing the final touch-ups and vinyl flooring. Our target is to complete by November thirtieth," the representative said.
Hospital Construction History
The project stalled in 2021 after the original contractor abandoned the works, by which point the county government had spent more than KSh 2.6 billion on the project.
In July 2025, Kakamega County transferred oversight to the national government following negotiations between Barasa and Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, as part of President William Ruto's push to accelerate flagship projects.
Engineers from the Kenya Defence Forces subsequently took over site supervision under the Ministry of Defence, with Plumbing Systems appointed as the new contractor.
During an inspection in January, Barasa disclosed that Ruto had committed KSh 1 billion to expedite construction.
The KDF deployment had initially targeted a six-month completion window, a timeline that has since shifted to the current November 30 date.
Commissioning and Equipment Plans
Barasa stressed that completing construction alone will not be sufficient to trigger a formal opening. The hospital must first be equipped before President Ruto can commission it.
"We are also concurrently working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that this facility has been equipped, because equipping is what will enable us to do the official commissioning. That will be done by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Kenya, Doctor William Samoei Ruto," the governor said.
He added that the 750-bed hospital is expected to feature 14 operating theatres along with equipment including CT scanners and X-ray machines.
Barasa also projected that the facility would create employment for up to 3,000 young people once operational.
Level VI is the highest tier within Kenya's public health system, covering tertiary and specialised referral care.
Kakamega's new hospital would join facilities such as Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital at that tier.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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