By Mohamed Siyad - Reporter
May 22, 2026 - The construction and modernization of the Wajir County Referral Hospital is a transformative county-led infrastructural project being undertaken through collaboration between the National and County governments as part of efforts to advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The historic facility was originally constructed in 1944 by Italian prisoners of war during World War II, with the ongoing modernization effectively expanding and rebuilding over the hospital’s 80-year-old colonial-era foundation.
Spearheaded by Wajir Governor H.E Ahmed Abdullahi EGH, the expansion seeks to upgrade the facility into a Level 5 specialized medical hub capable of handling more advanced treatment services and reducing costly referrals to Garissa and Nairobi.
The expansion comes amid growing pressure on healthcare systems in northern Kenya, where many patients are often forced to travel long distances in search of specialized treatment, emergency care services and critical care support unavailable in county facilities.
The project features a multi-storey Accident and Emergency (A&E) wing designed for comprehensive medical care and emergency response services.
The ground floor hosts outpatient and emergency services, including triage sections, consultation rooms, a pharmacy, ECG units and rapid-response laboratories aimed at improving emergency treatment efficiency.
The first floor provides a 48-bed inpatient ward equally divided for male and female patients alongside four private amenity rooms.
The second floor houses a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a 12-bed High Dependency Unit (HDU) and three modern operating theatres equipped with advanced systems, including laminar flow technology that remains uncommon in many public healthcare facilities across the country.
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County officials say the modernization is expected to strengthen critical care response, maternal healthcare services and surgical capacity, particularly during emergencies and periods of increased patient demand.
The rooftop is fitted with an industrial-grade purification plant capable of producing 2,000 litres of medical-grade water per hour.
The facility also integrates modern emergency systems while preserving sections of the hospital’s older ward infrastructure, with the outpatient department already operational and key equipment already installed.
The new accident and emergency centre is expected to significantly reduce travel time for residents seeking urgent medical attention and improve local emergency response capacity across Wajir County and neighbouring areas.
The modernization also reflects growing county-level investment in devolved healthcare infrastructure as regional governments increasingly move to strengthen specialized medical services outside major urban centres.
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