Ruto itinerary sparks Londiani hospital row as residents threaten 2027 poll boycott

President William Ruto’s planned development tour of Kericho County has sparked fresh anger in Kipkelion sub-county.

Residents have threatened to boycott the 2027 General Election if the proposed South Rift Level VI Teaching and Referral Hospital is moved from Londiani town.

They say their fury was triggered by the omission of the Londiani referral hospital from the projects listed in the reported programme for the President’s expected tour of the county from October 10 to 15.

Instead, the programme lists the proposed Kabianga University Teaching and Referral Hospital at Chelimo Estate, in the new Kericho town, among projects earmarked for the President’s activities.

The development has raised fears in Kipkelion that the Londiani project could be abandoned or relocated to Kericho town.

Residents who spoke at a public meeting in Kapchanga, Kipkelion East Constituency, on Monday said they would resist any such move and take their protest to the ballot box.

They vowed not to support any candidate in the 2027 elections — from the President and governor to senators, MPs, and ward representatives — if the hospital is not built at the 100-acre site in Londiani.

Their message was summed up in a simple warning: no hospital, no votes.

The residents said they were particularly concerned because the Londiani site had been identified through public participation and land had been set aside for the proposed regional referral facility.

A Kipkelion East Elder, Wesley Ngetich, said the community had already gone through the required process and should not be forced to accept a different location.

“We were given a referral hospital after following public participation. We have been given the site, and we are holding onto it,” he said.

He urged residents to reaffirm their demand that the hospital remain in Londiani, drawing repeated chants of “Amen” from the gathering.

David Bore, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Kipkelion branch secretary, said there was no justification for moving the project.

“The referral hospital must come to Londiani,” he said.

Bore also rejected suggestions that Kericho Teachers College could be converted into a hospital, saying the institution should retain its role as a teacher-training college.

“We can’t lose a teaching college for the sake of some individuals who want to take the referral hospital elsewhere. We stand as teachers and declare that Kericho Teachers College, which is one of the oldest colleges in the Republic of Kenya, must remain a teachers’ college,” he said.

Lawyer Ben Siele said residents would oppose any attempt to divert the project after years of planning and funding discussions.

“We want the project. We are telling the President the hospital must remain in Londiani,” he said.

The proposed South Rift Level VI Teaching and Referral Hospital has been in the pipeline for years, with the 100-acre Londiani site identified for the project following public participation.

The facility is expected to provide specialised medical services to residents of Kericho and the wider South Rift, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the region for advanced treatment.

The project was initially estimated to cost about Sh6 billion, but subsequent plans have put the investment at about Sh8 billion.

Funding discussions have involved the African Development Bank, while the national government has also previously given assurances that money had been secured for construction of the facility.

In October 2025, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said Sh8 billion had been secured for construction of the Kericho Teaching and Referral Hospital in Londiani.

That announcement raised expectations among residents that construction would proceed at the site they had been promised.

The latest controversy has therefore reopened an old debate over the location of the regional hospital.

The appearance of the Kabianga University Teaching and Referral Hospital at Chelimo Estate on the reported presidential itinerary has further complicated the situation, with residents questioning whether the two projects are separate facilities or whether the Kabianga project represents a shift in plans for the proposed regional referral hospital.

They want the government to clarify the status of the Londiani project before the President arrives in the county.

Kericho Deputy Governor Fred Kirui called for dialogue, urging Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot to convene leaders and stakeholders to address the concerns.

“These are weighty matters that will put us in trouble if we do not sit down and resolve them,” Mr Kirui said.

The senator has previously supported Londiani as the site of the proposed referral hospital.

The hospital’s location has been a subject of debate among South Rift leaders, with some arguing that the facility should be placed at a location that offers easier access to residents across the region.

But Kipkelion residents insist that the decision on Londiani has already been made and that changing it would disregard the outcome of public participation and the land set aside for the project.

With the President’s expected visit now providing a fresh political flashpoint, residents say they will be watching closely to see whether he addresses the fate of the Londiani hospital.

For them, the issue has moved beyond the construction of a hospital.

It is now a test of whether the government will honour what it says was a commitment to its community.