Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has embarked on a major modernization drive featuring infrastructure upgrades, new medical equipment, expanded specialized care, and plans for a Sh4.9 billion hospital complex designed to elevate its standing as a premier regional teaching, referral, and research institution.
The multi-phased project, which includes expanding the facility into a 2,000-bed medical city, aims to replace aging infrastructure dating back to before 1969 and improve healthcare access for millions of residents across Western Kenya and neighboring regions.
As part of the immediate upgrades, the hospital is renovating six operating theaters while keeping four others operational to prevent service disruptions.
In a notice dated October 14, 2026, Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Joshua Clinton Okise confirmed that the theater renovations were progressing well and are expected to be completed within a month. Following inspection and commissioning, the facilities will progressively resume full operations.
Referring health facilities have been urged to coordinate elective surgical procedures with the hospital's management during the transition, while emergency referrals continue under established protocols.
Beyond immediate renovations, JOOTRH is pursuing a comprehensive master plan prepared by Arprim Consultants to transform the facility into a state-of-the-art 2,000-bed medical city. The master plan replaces decentralized, aging structures with an integrated campus designed to streamline clinical workflows and shorten transit times between critical care departments.
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Phase One of the expansion envisions an eight-storey, 500-bed hospital complex featuring medical and surgical wards, a 20-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a 20-bed High Dependency Unit (HDU), a renal care center, and a 28-bed Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.
The initial phase will also house 20 operating theaters, specialist outpatient clinics, a rehabilitation center, a 15-station dental unit, expanded radiology and laboratory services, and dedicated administrative offices. Sustainable features—including solar power installations, water storage systems, and a rooftop helipad—are integrated into the design. Under the proposed roadmap, Phase One is targeted for completion by 2030.
Under the new layout, the A&E department will connect directly to diagnostic and imaging centers, eliminating critical delays when transferring emergency patients.
A second phase will add another 600-bed hospital block, a Doctors’ Plaza, and supporting clinical infrastructure, eventually scaling total capacity to 2,000 beds. The master plan also integrates staff housing under the Affordable Housing Programme, expanded research facilities, a logistics hub, and modernized traffic management.
The project has already drawn key stakeholders. A joint delegation from the Ministry of Health, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Arprim Consultants previously conducted a site assessment. AfDB Infrastructure Engineer and Task Manager Ms Nadege Balima emphasized spatial readiness, priority mapping, and staff training, while Dr Hezron Omollo, head of infrastructure projects and grants management, highlighted the urgency of modern medical infrastructure to meet regional demand.
In addition to physical expansion, JOOTRH has made significant investments in medical technology. Dr Okise revealed that the hospital has acquired equipment worth over Sh1.5 billion and introduced more than 20 specialized medical services within the past year.
To improve the patient experience across the expansive grounds, the facility introduced electric transport carts to convey mobility-challenged patients from the A&E department to radiology and other service points.
The hospital has also addressed supply chain reliability, maintaining an essential medicine availability rate above 90 per cent. This allows patients to complete their full treatment pipeline—from diagnostics to pharmacy dispensing—within the facility.
Specialized oncology is another major focus, with construction of a Sh500 million Comprehensive Cancer Center in its final stages. Funded by the national government, the center will integrate chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical oncology under one roof, with radiotherapy services scheduled to go live within the year.
The transformation follows JOOTRH's successful structural transition from a county-managed facility to a national parastatal. Dr Okise noted that the six-month human resource and asset migration was executed with support from the State Department for Medical Services, the State Department for Public Service, and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
Staff welfare initiatives—including timely salary disbursements, comprehensive medical cover, and the transition of local contract staff to permanent and pensionable terms under the board—have been prioritized to stabilize the workforce as the referral hospital expands its operations.