Amsons commits Sh4.5b to Kenya's healthcare infrastructure

Amsons Group MD Edha Nahdi during the launch of “Amsons Mama na Mtoto Kwanza” project at State House, Nairobi, on April 30, 2026. [Courtesy]

Amsons Group has begun construction of a Sh4.5 billion mother-and-child hospital in Bomet County, the first of 10 facilities the group plans to build across Kenya in the next two years.

The Level Four hospital, being constructed at Chebunyo, will have a capacity of up to 250 beds and is expected to provide a wide range of maternal and newborn health services.

The facility will offer antenatal care, labour and delivery services, maternity and obstetric intensive care, postnatal care, newborn services and neonatal intensive care.

It will also have dedicated maternity and neonatal theatres, an isolation unit and a mothers’ hostel, among other essential services.

Amsons Group managing director Edha Nahdi said the company, through the Amsons Group Foundation, had committed $35 million (about Sh4.5 billion) to the construction and equipping of the 10 hospitals.

“This facility is the first of those ten hospitals and will set the standard for the facilities that will follow,” Nahdi said during the launch.

The project comes amid concerns over Kenya’s maternal and newborn mortality rates and inadequate access to specialised maternity services, particularly in rural and remote areas.

About 16 Kenyan women die every day from pregnancy-related causes, according to figures cited during the launch. Fewer than half of health facilities in the country provide maternity services, while only about a third are equipped to handle emergency obstetric care.

Kenya also has about 12 hospital beds for every 10,000 people, well below the World Health Organisation recommendation of at least 25 beds per 10,000 people.

President William Ruto, who officiated the launch, said the project marked an important milestone in efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

He said the facilities would complement the Government’s ongoing Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) programme, which seeks to expand and equip health facilities, particularly at Level Four and Five.

The President said the hospitals would strengthen access to inpatient, referral and specialised care while improving emergency services, diagnostics and treatment.

“We are doing this to ensure that no woman loses her life while giving life, every child gets a fair start, and no family has to travel long distances, exhaust its savings or suffer preventable loss in search of maternal and newborn healthcare,” Ruto said.

According to the President, the 10 hospitals, each with a capacity of 250 beds, could benefit more than one million women seeking pre- and postnatal care in remote and rural parts of the country.

The national and county governments, he added, would support the facilities through the provision of staff and medical supplies.