Kericho Deputy Governor Fred Kirui says the decision to locate the new referral hospital in Londiani is final.
A fresh row has erupted over the proposed location of a multi-billion-shillings regional referral hospital in Kericho County, even after the national government set aside Sh500 million for the first phase of its construction.
The hospital, one of two Level VI facilities approved by the Cabinet in April this year — alongside another in Bungoma County — is to be funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It is expected to benefit residents from Kericho, Bomet, Narok, parts of Nakuru, Kisumu, and Nyamira counties, many of whom currently rely on Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret and Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for specialised care.
However, political divisions over the facility’s location have stalled progress, with local leaders and residents sharply split between two proposed sites: Chelimo, near Kericho Town, and Londiani in Kipkelion East Constituency.
While some leaders argue for a central location with existing infrastructure, others insist on Londiani, where the county government has allocated 100 acres of land, is the agreed site.
President William Ruto has twice directed governors, MPs and MCAs from the benefiting counties to hold consultations and agree on a location that would serve the entire region. But nearly three years since the idea was floated, the consultative meeting has yet to take place.
Instead, the issue has become politically charged. A section of politicians from Kericho, particularly from Kipkelion East and West, have pushed for the hospital to be constructed in Londiani — an area they say has adequate land and space. Others have argued that this decision was made unilaterally and lacks public input.
“We want thorough public participation conducted,” said Ms Winnie Chepkemoi, a Kipkelion resident. “Kericho Town already has a Level Four hospital, but the regional referral hospital should be in Londiani.”
Kericho Deputy Governor Fred Kirui echoed this view, saying the decision to locate the facility in Londiani is final.
“What we know is that the planned excision of 800 acres of land for the expansion of Kericho Town was meant to accommodate industries and other institutions, but we find it curious that a referral hospital is one of the facilities that have been allocated land,” explained Mr Kirui.
Majority Leader in the Kericho County Assembly Philip Rono says the planned construction of a referral hospital at Chelimo in Kericho Town would deny residents of Kipkelion East a major development project.
“In what appears to be a mischievous move, a 50-acre piece of land has been set aside for construction of a referral hospital at Chelimo in Kericho Town. What it means is that, since we cannot have two such facilities in the South Rift, Londiani will lose out,” Mr Rono said.
However, critics say Londiani is a peripheral area that would be difficult to access for patients from other counties. “Placing it in Londiani defeats the very purpose of a regional referral hospital,” said Leonard Kipkemoi Barsumei, a former mayor of Bomet.
Opposition to the Londiani site is growing among leaders from neighbouring counties. Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and MPs Richard Kilel (Bomet Central) and Francis Sigei (Sotik) have called for the hospital to be built in Kericho Town, arguing that it is more centrally located and accessible.
“As a matter of fact, Kericho should be the compromise site,” said Mr Kilel. “The hospital is not just for Kericho residents—it is for the entire South Rift.”
Bomet leaders say they were not consulted despite earlier directives by President Ruto to include stakeholders from Bomet, Narok, and parts of Nakuru.
“It is true that we have not held a consultative meeting as directed by the President,” said Prof Barchok. “Our colleagues in Kericho seem to have taken a position without involving us.”
Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno said the President should intervene and help settle the matter. “Residents have long travelled to Eldoret or Nairobi for specialised treatment. The issue is no longer whether to build the hospital, but where.”
President Ruto has issued mixed signals on the matter. In November 2023, while addressing a prayer service in Sotik, Bomet County, he stated that the referral hospital would be part of the expansion of Kericho Town.
“I have directed Governor Erick Mutai to work with the Ministry of Lands and the National Land Commission to set aside land for industries and a referral hospital,” the President said.
That statement appeared to support Kericho Town as the preferred site—further fuelling resistance from Kipkelion leaders, who see Londiani as the rightful location.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Kipkelion MPs Joseph Cherorot (East) and Hillary Koskei (West) insist the hospital must be built in Londiani. “The decision was made after consultations eight years ago,” said Mr Cheruiyot. “We will not revisit it.”
But business leaders warn that building the hospital in Londiani risks deepening economic woes in Kericho Town, already reeling from the effects of road bypasses and job losses in the tea sector.
“Kericho Town is ideal for the referral hospital. It has infrastructure, it’s accessible, and it would help revitalise the economy,” said Mr Robinson Bett, the Kericho branch chair of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).
His Bomet counterpart, Mr Leonard Langat, agreed: “Let Londiani Sub-County Hospital be upgraded, but the regional facility must be in Kericho Town.”
The dispute is partly being fuelled by political calculations ahead of the next general election. Some leaders are wary of alienating voters in Kipkelion by relocating the project.
“It’s no secret some leaders fear losing support in Kipkelion East and West, hence their insistence on Londiani,” said Barsumei.
Despite the political noise, some leaders and observers say the national government should focus on technical feasibility and access rather than political appeasement.
“It is a regional hospital, not a local one,” said Sotik MP Francis Sigei. “Local politics should not take precedence in a project of this magnitude.”
Governor Mutai confirmed two weeks ago that the national government has allocated Sh500 million for the project’s first phase. “We are grateful for the support. It will ease the burden of residents who have been travelling long distances for specialised care,” he said.
But with no agreement on the location, the future of the project remains uncertain. Leaders from Bomet and Narok have warned that unless a central site is agreed upon, they will push for the national government to fund upgrades of facilities in their own counties instead.
As tensions rise, stakeholders across the South Rift continue to call on President Ruto to intervene and ensure the project does not become a casualty of political brinkmanship.
“Let’s set politics aside and give the people a lasting solution,” said Bomet Central MP Richard Kilel.
