Why Uhuru opened Kangemi hospital at night
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday night opened Gichagi-Kangemi Level 3 Hospital in Kangemi, Nairobi.
The hospital is part of 24 health facilities being constructed by Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) in Nairobi County.
In what many described as the President's way of avoiding crowds due to surge in Covid-19 cases, he visited the area at night clad in military jacket.
Of the 24 hospitals, 19 are being built at a cost of Sh70 million each.
The remaining five were to undergo rehabilitation at a cost of Sh300 million.
In the well thought out government initiative in collaboration with the NMS, the project caters for development of hospitals in the informal settlements.
The areas targeted are Viwandani, Majengo, Mathare, Kayole, Soweto, Korogocho, Kawangware, Gitare Marigu, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Kibera and Githurai 44.
Of the 19 under construction, nine have been set for Level Three hospitals and ten Level Two hospitals.
Back in August 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the construction of three hospitals in the informal settlements of Uthiru, Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Reuben, a move that set the momentum for the project.
In part of a grand plan towards transformation of informal settlements, the Level Three hospitals were allocated Sh210 million.
This amount would constitute a 16-bed capacity hospital at Muthua in Uthiru and Kianda with a bigger 24-bed capacity health facility at Maendeleo Village in Mukuru kwa Reuben.
These are areas where there has been limited access to health with many forced to incur an added cost of transportation to access key hospitals and others forced to grapple with costly private clinics that were at times not licensed to operate.
