WEST POKOT – West Pokot County is set to receive a major boost in healthcare services following plans to build a new 250-bed specialized maternal and newborn hospital. The project comes as county and national health authorities ramp up joint efforts to reduce high rates of preventable maternal and infant mortality across the region.
The announcement followed discussions on Thursday, August 13, where Deputy Governor Robert Komolle met with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, several county governors, and regional health officials to align strategies for improving reproductive healthcare. West Pokot’s facility is one of 10 specialized health centers earmarked for regions facing significant gaps in maternal care.
Financed through a Ksh 4.4 billion grant from the Amsons Group under the Mama na Mtoto Kwanza initiative, the hospital will focus on complex reproductive and infant care. Plans call for modern surgical theaters for Caesarean sections, advanced labor wards, and fully equipped Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to manage high-risk births.
Deputy Governor Komolle highlighted the transformative potential of the project, noting that it will save lives by cutting down travel times for emergency medical care. “This facility will bring specialised maternal and newborn healthcare services closer to our people and help address preventable deaths among mothers and newborns,” he noted, reassuring partners that the county administration is fully committed to seeing the project to fruition.
Komolle attended the strategy meeting alongside Health and Sanitation CECM Claire Parklea and officials from the County Health Management Team. Groundbreaking for the hospital is scheduled for September 2026, with the completed facility expected to give West Pokot the infrastructure needed to manage severe pregnancy complications and neonatal emergencies locally.
