A guard of honour comes to the rescue, as tech fails to deliver visitors to KU Referral Hospital
Peter Kimani
By
Peter Kimani
| Aug 22, 2025
Last weekend, I headed out to see a relative who was admitted to the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital. I have been to KU many times, usually the main campus for events, or to the morgue to collect the remains of loved ones for burial. For some strange reason, I have never had use for the hospital, so I didn’t know where it is located.
I turned on my GPS and punched in the location. And that annoying woman on Google maps started directing me to exit within minutes of navigation. Well, I might not know where the KU hospital is based, but I certainly know where the university is located. I was still some 10 kilometres away.
I disregard the ‘exit’ notification as I went past Garden estate, but the irritating voice persisted. I took the exit and instantly recognised the mistake. GPS was trying to take me to USIU! Issuing curses under my breath, I wrestled with the Kamiti-bound matatus and made my way back to Thika Superhighway.
Back on track, I drove by for the estimated distance of the 10 kilometres, past KU. The annoying Google voice was now eerily silent as I drove past KU, only directing me to exit near Clay Works. I looked around and there was no sign of a hospital. And Google maps wanted me to drive on for another five kilometres, towards the wilderness.
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I decided there and then to defy Google and find the hospital as we did in days of yore, before all these technologies came to confuse the masses. I weaved in and out of the highway until I stopped at the main entrance of KU and reported to the security desk. I had had enough drama with technology, I told the guards. Could someone show me where the KU Referral Hospital is located?
A female guard from Ismaz volunteered to take me there, but I lost contact with her when I went to park the car. I did not get her name, or even her contact details, so this is my way of saying: asante sana!