Nandi to expand maternity services in hospitals

The Nandi government is seeking to enhance maternity care services, with a plan to have more county hospitals offering the services.

Governor Stephen Sang’s administration targets to ensure pregnant women and newborns access quality care.

The county has started expansion of the Kobujoi health centre into a fully fledged level 4 hospital that will help to ease congestion at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital. 

Health executive Angeline Kirui said the expansion at Kobujoi will include developing a mother, newborn and child health unit.

“We will start with Kobujoi and move to expand maternity services at our major county hospitals,” she said.

The county has partnered with Safaricom Foundation on the Kobujoi hospital expansion.

Kirui said all subcounty hospitals will have maternity wings modernised and equipped. The expansion is part of Governor Sang’s administration plan to upscale health services.

The county is targeting to collect more than Sh450 million in healthcare revenue this year, riding on improved services across public health facilities.

The county government says the gains made reflect sustained investment in the health sector, including expansion of facilities, recruitment of additional medical staff and improved access to quality healthcare services for residents.

Sang, who is serving his second term, said his administration has prioritised the expansion of health infrastructure to bring services closer to communities, while improving the quality of care offered. Since he assumed office, the number of health facilities in the county has increased from 120 to 155, with several more still under construction.

“My vision is to ensure residents have access to a health facility within a radius of five kilometres so that everyone can easily access healthcare services,” he said.

The governor recently toured several health facilities to assess service delivery.

“We want to assure residents of round-the-clock services during this period so that no one suffers due to lack of care in case of need,” he said.

According to a county report, digitisation has been rolled out in 98.7 per cent of health facilities, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

Governor Sang said the digital transformation, coupled with improved management, has significantly boosted healthcare revenue, which rose from Sh225 million in the 2023-24 financial year to more than Sh313 million collected last year. Collections are projected to hit Sh450 million by the end of the current year.

The governor said the reforms align with President William Ruto’s vision of achieving universal healthcare coverage for all Kenyans.

The county says Nandi has witnessed unprecedented transformation in the healthcare sector since 2017, a period it says has delivered tangible benefits to households across the region.

According to the report, the progress has been driven by Governor Sang’s development vision of “Transforming Lives, One Milestone at a Time,” yielding results across multiple fronts.

One of the most notable milestones cited is the operationalisation of the Mosoriot Theatre in March 2025, which has enabled 186 surgical procedures to be conducted locally so far, significantly reducing the need for referrals.

The county also launched blood transfusion services at Mosoriot, effectively ending emergency referrals and ensuring timely, life-saving interventions.

Pharmaceutical services have also improved, with the prescription fill rate rising from 60 per cent to 85 per cent across county health facilities.

Maternal and child health outcomes, which the county says are a cornerstone of Governor Sang’s agenda, have also recorded major gains. Facility-based deliveries have increased from 36.9 per cent to 65 per cent, placing Nandi among Kenya’s top four safest counties for childbirth.

“This achievement has been bolstered by the construction and renovation of 16 maternity units and 28 laboratories, alongside the operationalisation of facilities such as Kibisem Dispensary and Kiropket Maternity,” Sang said