New Dawn for Accessible and Affordable Healthcare as Governor Susan Kihika Breaks Ground for Rongai Level 4 Hospital

Written by Ruth Magak

H.E. Governor Susan Kihika marked a major milestone in healthcare for Nakuru County with the groundbreaking and foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Rongai Level 4 Hospital at Salgaa Centre, Visoi Ward, Rongai Sub-County.

This project is fully funded by the County Government of Nakuru at a cost of Kshs 250 million to provide essential healthcare services, including inpatient, outpatient, and maternity care, to the people of Rongai Sub-County and beyond.

In her address, Governor Kihika underscored her commitment to ensuring healthcare is both accessible and affordable, emphasizing that this hospital will bring high-quality services close to home for residents of Visoi, Mosop, and surrounding wards.

“Today’s ceremony signals our dedication to providing quality healthcare that is accessible to everyone,” Governor Kihika stated, highlighting her administration’s vision to establish modern health facilities across all sub-counties in Nakuru.

The 90-bed capacity Rongai Level 4 Hospital, slated for completion within 24 months, will feature an extensive range of healthcare services. The outpatient department will offer multiple consultation rooms, an advanced laboratory, an accident and emergency unit, X-ray services, a pharmacy, and a plaster room, supported by two operating theatres.

The inpatient care area will house medical, surgical, and children’s wards, along with dedicated maternity and newborn units. Additionally, the hospital will be equipped with supportive facilities such as a kitchen, laundry, water reservoirs, drainage infrastructure, and public amenities to ensure comfort for all visitors.

For the residents of Rongai Sub-County, especially those who have awaited a healthcare facility on this six-acre public land for nearly two decades, the launch of this hospital is a dream come true. Many residents expressed gratitude to Governor Kihika for making the land, which had remained idle since 2007, a valuable community resource.

The facility’s proximity to the Salgaa black spot on the highway makes it ideally positioned to provide critical, timely care to road accident victims, potentially saving hundreds of lives by reducing emergency referrals to Nakuru Level 5 Hospital.

During the event, Governor Kihika highlighted the county’s broader development initiatives in Visoi and Mosop Wards, covering water projects, road improvements, education, markets, and agriculture. She also shared exciting news about the upcoming dualling of the Rironi-Mau Summit segment of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, set to begin next year, which will reduce road accidents and ease traffic congestion in the area.

Accompanied by Deputy Governor H.E. David Kones, County Assembly Majority Leader Hon. Alex Langat, area MCA Hellen Chemtai, and a host of County Executive Committee Members, Chief Officers, and other dignitaries, Governor Kihika reinforced her administration’s unwavering dedication to uplifting healthcare standards in Nakuru County.