Magereza Hospital in Ruiru swings into operations

The newly constructed Level 4 hospital at the Kenya Prison Staff Training College in Ruiru, Kiambu County, has officially begun operations.

This marks a major milestone in the provision of healthcare services for prison officers, inmates and the surrounding community.

The facility, known as the Wanini Kireri Magereza Hospital, is located within the Kenya Prison Staff Training College and is expected to serve prison officers, more than 60,000 inmates, as well as members of the public living around the area.

The hospital has been named in honour of the late Wanini Kireri, a former Commandant of the Kenya Prison Staff Training College, in recognition of his service and contribution to the institution.

The hospital was operationalised on Thursday after Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga handed over the certificate of completion to his Correctional Services counterpart Salome Beacco during a ceremony attended by senior government officials, led by Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, who also toured various service departments within the facility.

Speaking during the event, Dr Beacco said the operationalisation of the hospital follows a directive by William Ruto aimed at improving healthcare access within the correctional sector.

She said the modern facility is well equipped to offer a wide range of medical services.

“Here we have ICU, here we have HDU, here we have maternity. There is nothing that we do not have in this facility. We want to thank everyone who ensured we operationalise it to meet the needs of more than 30,000 officers working within the prisons service and over 60,000 Kenyans undergoing rehabilitation in our institutions,” said Beacco.

The PS added that outpatient services would begin immediately as the government moves to fully operationalise the facility.

“Today, we shall begin outpatient services, and we are ready to move forward with this. We also appreciate the strong multi-agency collaboration between the State Department for Correctional Services and the State Department for Medical Services, which has helped strengthen partnerships,” she said.

Beacco further noted that discussions were ongoing with the Kiambu County Government and other institutions to ensure adequate staffing and specialised services.

“We are also working to formalise an MoU with the Kiambu County Government to facilitate deployment of specialist medical personnel. Discussions are also ongoing with Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital regarding interim use of mortuary facilities pending completion of our own,” she added.

Medical Services PS Oluga said the facility will be fully operational within about a month once the installation of equipment is completed.

“This is an important day for us when we come here and see a serious hospital like this one that has been built to stand up as a state-of-the-art facility. We want to extract value from it, and extracting that value means service delivery,” he said.

He said the hospital will help advance the government’s goal of achieving universal health coverage.

“We take pride in fulfilling this because it helps us realise the fundamental promise of universal health coverage as part of the rights enshrined in the Constitution. We are keen to ensure every single person, whether incarcerated or not, has access to healthcare,” said Oluga.

The PS also urged Kenyans to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA) to benefit from universal healthcare programmes being rolled out by the government.

Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh described the hospital as a major step toward improving welfare within the correctional service.

“This event marks the beginning of a new chapter in healthcare service delivery within the Kenya Prisons Service. It reflects the deliberate efforts of the national government to improve the welfare of our officers, their families, inmates and the surrounding community,” said Aranduh.

He said the facility will help address longstanding challenges faced in accessing specialised medical care.

“For many years, the Kenya Prisons Service has faced challenges in providing specialised and referral healthcare services. The operationalisation of this hospital will go a long way in addressing these challenges by bringing essential medical services closer to our officers, inmates and Kenyans at large,” he said.

Aranduh added that the service will continue strengthening partnerships with other government institutions and development partners to improve healthcare access.

The hospital was operationalised following a directive by President Ruto, who last month ordered the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to fast-track its operationalisation within two weeks.

Speaking during the 46th passing-out parade for 3,862 Kenya Prisons Service recruits, the President said the facility complements ongoing reforms in healthcare financing for the correctional sector.

He noted that all prison service staff are now guaranteed access to healthcare services across the country through the Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme administered by the Social Health Authority.