Murang’a County Government has announced plans to upgrade more public health facilities to Level Four hospitals, in a move aimed at improving healthcare services and reducing the financial burden on residents seeking treatment.
In a public notice issued by Governor Irungu Kang’ata, the county government said Murang’a currently operates eight public hospitals, but only three are classified as Level Four facilities and above, namely Murang’a County Referral Hospital, Maragua Level Four Hospital and Kirwara Level Four Hospital.
According to the notice, hospitals operating at Level Three face limitations in service delivery, since some services, including X-ray and imaging, are not recognized by the Social Health Authority (SHA), forcing patients to pay out of pocket.
Kang’ata indicated that the county administration was working closely with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to ensure more hospitals attain Level Four status in line with national health facility classification standards.
The governor noted that the upgrade process would involve expansion of critical services such as X-ray and imaging departments as well as mortuary facilities to improve access to affordable and dignified healthcare services across the county.
“When hospitals remain at Level 3, residents are forced to incur extra costs for services that are not covered under SHA.
By upgrading these facilities, we want to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure and ensure wananchi receive quality healthcare closer to their homes,” he explained.
The public notice further announced that construction of the Kandara Hospital mortuary would commence immediately and is expected to be completed and fully operational within eight months.
Kang’ata also revealed that Kigumo Hospital mortuary would officially begin operations on June 3, 2026, describing the project as a major milestone in improving healthcare infrastructure in the region.
“Our goal is to ensure residents access comprehensive healthcare services without travelling long distances or struggling with high medical costs. Expanding mortuary and imaging services is part of restoring dignity to families and strengthening healthcare delivery in Murang’a,” he added.
The county government stated that once the new services become operational, the process of upgrading Kandara and Kigumo hospitals to Level Four status would significantly accelerate.
Residents are expected to benefit from improved diagnostic services, reduced transportation and storage costs for bereaved families and enhanced healthcare access once the projects are completed.
The county administration expressed that the upgrades form part of its broader plan to strengthen healthcare systems and fulfil its commitment to providing affordable, comprehensive and dignified healthcare services to all residents of Murang’a County.
by Bernard Munyao and Catherine Kamunyo
