Work has started on a new multi-storey surgical block at Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, KBC Digital reported. The county government, the national government, the Ministry of Defence and the Kenya Defence Forces are building it together. The block will add 140 beds to the hospital's current 311.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Roselinda Soipan Tuya presided over the groundbreaking and site handover. She called the block a transformative health infrastructure project built to modern standards. Tuya promised that her ministry would deliver it on time, within budget and to the quality expected of the KDF.
Governor Gladys Wanga said the ceremony marked the start of the hospital's journey to Level 6 status. She said patients would get better access to surgical care and better conditions for treatment and recovery. Lake Region residents would also travel shorter distances for specialised care, she added.
The block will handle surgical, critical care, maternal, newborn and inpatient services. It will have patient lifts, ramps, staircases and emergency exits. It will also link to a new Accident and Emergency Wing already under construction. Emergency, trauma and surgical care will then connect directly.
The county says the hospital is under heavy pressure. Wanga took office in 2022. Since then, her administration has replaced the old outpatient building, installed a CT scanner, added five dialysis machines and upgraded maternity services. According to the county, outpatient and inpatient numbers have more than tripled over that period, straining existing wards.
The county also expects the project to create jobs. About 300 people will work directly on construction, and another 1,000 will benefit indirectly. Local suppliers will provide building materials. The county has also hired six more medical officers and 100 nursing officers.
The hospital started as a dispensary in 1969 and is now a Level 5 facility. It has an MRI scanner and renal, oncology and eye units. The county says 680,000 residents, or 56% of the population, are now registered with SHA. Wanga thanked President William Ruto, the Ministry of Defence and the KDF for their support.