President William Ruto said the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital and the Garissa County Referral Hospital will be upgraded to Level 6 national referral hospitals under the National Government.

The upgrade follows a Ksh 1 billion injection to complete stalled construction work, with the central government assuming full funding responsibility for the facilities.

County funds previously earmarked for the hospitals will be redirected to other health projects, reflecting the shift to national financing.

Ruto said the two upgraded hospitals will enhance access to quality healthcare for the people.

The government has already spent Ksh 300 million on equipment for hospitals in Kakamega County and plans to spend an additional Ksh 1 billion to equip more facilities.

During a Sunday mass at St Mark’s Catholic Church in Likuyani Constituency, Ruto noted that 1.15 million Kakamega residents are registered with the Social Health Authority and that Ksh 4.8 billion has been disbursed to the county in the past 18 months.

He added that monthly SHA payments will continue to flow to smaller facilities such as Magusi Hospital, with funds linked to the number of patients treated.

Local MPs, including Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe, attended the announcement and praised recent development projects in the area.