New Gilgil Hospital To Ease Pressure On Nakuru PGH

By Suleiman Mbatiah

Nakuru County’s strained referral system could get a major capacity boost from a proposed 300-bed Level 5 hospital in Gilgil Sub-County.

An oversight visit by the Senate Health Committee in April 2026 found long patient queues at Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital (NCRTH), formerly Nakuru PGH, which receives referrals from facilities across Nakuru and eight other counties.

The latest health records show the hospital serves more than 3,000 patients a day, including 750 inpatients.

Under the proposal, the Gilgil hospital would have at least 16 intensive care beds and 10 high-dependency beds. It is also expected to be equipped for modern diagnostics and treatment and to offer a broader range of specialized services.

The added capacity could allow critically ill patients and those needing specialist treatment to be treated in Gilgil instead of being transferred to Nakuru PGH. The hospital could also take referrals from lower-level facilities in and around Gilgil, leaving the county referral hospital to focus on other cases.

Governor Susan Kihika said the proposal followed months of lobbying and discussions with President William Ruto, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Ministry of Health on investment in Nakuru’s referral system.

“After months of networking, engagement, advocacy, scoping and design, we are witnessing another significant achievement for our people,” she said.

Kihika said the national and county governments were close to formalizing the arrangements needed for the project. She said the hospital would strengthen the county’s referral system and bring specialized healthcare closer to residents.

The project is part of a Sh29 billion national program to establish 13 Level 5 county referral hospitals, each with 300 beds.

CS Duale said the program was being implemented under a presidential directive and was meant to expand access to critical and specialized care as the government pursues universal health coverage.

He said the beneficiary counties were selected based on population, disease burden, the state of existing health infrastructure and the availability of financing from the government, development partners and private investors.

Duale said environmental and workplace considerations had been included in the proposed designs.

“We reviewed the proposed hospital designs, which incorporate green engineering, increased use of solar energy, climate-resilient infrastructure and adequate spaces for patients and healthcare workers,” he said.

The hospitals are also expected to provide adequate working and rest areas for patients and healthcare workers.

Duale said the national and county governments had agreed on immediate steps to move the projects toward implementation, including setting timelines, establishing county-level coordination structures and requiring regular progress reports.

Because health is a devolved function, he said, close cooperation between the two levels of government would be needed to address land, approvals, utilities, staffing and operational readiness.

Gilgil Sub-County Hospital currently operates as a Level 4 facility with 217 inpatient beds, one theatre, an X-ray unit, a pharmacy, physiotherapy services and a maternity unit.

The hospital sits on about 45 acres, which the county says is enough space for expansion.

The latest proposal follows an earlier government commitment, announced in February 2026, to spend Sh500 million on constructing a Level 5 hospital in Gilgil and a further Sh200 million on equipment.