Clinic where Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was treated still stands

As President Uhuru Kenyatta led the country in commemorating the 37th anniversary memorial service for the nation’s founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta over the weekend, Lodwar County Referral Hospital had a reason to celebrate.

Tucked in Lodwar’s central business district is the building that housed a health centre where the Kapenguria six, including Mzee Kenyatta, were treated.

The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Gilchrist Lokoel explained that a building in the now current county referral hospital holds a history that is of great importance to the country.

“When the first President and the four who were detained with him were in Lodwar, they could sometimes be taken ill due to the hard labour and the climatic conditions. They would then be rushed to the only dispensary in the building that existed during that time,” said Lokoel.

The building, which was built in the late 1950s by the Britons, is one of the landmarks of Kenya’s struggle against colonialism. It has since been renovated and now houses the hospital’s theatre and an eye unit.

“Records show that Mzee was treated here whenever he became unwell.

“If the walls could speak, they would tell of the pains and struggles that Kenyatta and his colleagues had to go through to liberate our country,” said Lokoel.