where is knh othaya located?
Kenyatta National Hospital Othaya Annex has been renamed Mwai Kibaki Hospital.
It is the first public institution to be named after the late retired president since his death.
Dr Peter Muiruri, a Senior Director at the medical facility said the management of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) had elected to rename the institution in honour of the fallen President who started the construction of the hospital in 2010.
It was previously called the KNH Othaya Annex and shares a compound with the Othaya Sub County Hospital.
The main gate at the hospital has already been painted with the new name but hospital authorities said formal commissioning will be arranged in consultations with President Uhuru Kenyatta's office as he was widely expected to grace the launch.
He said the facility met all the requirements of a level six hospital which coincidentally happened after the death of the third President of the Republic of Kenya.
“We have the required medical personnel and support staff needed and we are now good to go,” said Dr Muiruri.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga who spoke on Thursday at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology during a requiem mass for the late retired President remembered how Kibaki turned down overtures to have the hospital named after him.
“He asked whether the medical facility had enough doctors and equipment for us to think of how to name the hospital and challenged us to first equip the facility,” the governor said.
Renovations at the hospital, which was initially launched in 2019 as Othaya Level VI hospital before the name was changed to KNH Othaya Annex.
The Sh1 billion project was started during Kibaki’s Government and was completed during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
Renovations have been ongoing this week ahead of Kibaki’s funeral at his family home in Othaya on Saturday 30th April.
According to the Hospital’s Senior Director Dr Peter Muiruri, the decision was made following consultations between the family and the government.
The construction of the hospital began in 2010 and was completed in 2019. At the time, the hospital was named the Othaya Level 6 Hospital.
“We believe this honours one of his legacy for healthcare in the region, we promise to build the capacity of healthcare in this region,” Muiruri said.
He said the renaming of the facility was made to recognize Kibaki’s contribution to the health sector during his tenure as President from 2002 to 2013.
The move has been received well by the Othaya residents as they say it is a way of honouring him.
After his demise, various leaders including nominated Senator Beth Mugo and Moses Wetangula have called on the government to rename major projects after him.
This move to rename the hospital after Kibaki mirrors the government’s decision to name a key hospital in the Embakasi District Hospital after his late wife Lucy Kibaki, who passed away in 2016.
