A section of the site where the new MTRH multi- speciality hospital is under construction at Kiplombe in Eldoret

Construction of the new Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) multi-speciality hospital at Kiplombe, on the outskirts of Eldoret, is 11 per cent complete.

The first phase of the project is expected to cost Sh29 billion and will provide a 2,000-bed hospital on 45 acres of land.

Members of the National Assembly’s Health Committee toured the site for an oversight visit. They were told that the first phase was expected to be completed by March next year.

Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli, who led the team, said work by Chinese contractors was progressing well, describing the project as a landmark facility for Africa.

“We will be back in January to follow up on the progress because, as Parliament, we made sure all the required money is released,” Sunkuli said.

MTRH chief executive officer Dr Philip Kirwa said the hospital would offer a wide range of specialised medical services, including nuclear medicine.

He said the facility would also serve as an international centre for medical research and medical tourism, with specialised theatres and laboratories.

Kirwa said the hospital was expected to handle complex medical conditions for which patients currently travel to India and other countries for treatment.

Earlier, the MPs visited the existing MTRH facility, where Kirwa said the hospital had adequate isolation facilities for Ebola, including a 30-bed intensive care unit that could also be used for isolation.

“We have also received all the necessary material we require for the isolation and treatment of Ebola cases and protective gear for staff,” he said.

Kirwa said the hospital was fully prepared to handle Ebola and other emerging diseases.

Sunkuli said the committee was satisfied with how the hospital administration, led by Kirwa, had used the funds allocated to it.

“We have sat down with the hospital management and we are satisfied that money meant for personal emoluments and development had been well used,” he said.

He said ongoing projects at the facility were progressing well, but the committee would examine delays in budgetary allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.

Sunkuli said MTRH was a critical referral facility serving more than half of Kenya, as well as patients from other countries in the East African region.

“As Parliament, we provide funding for this hospital, among others, and hence we also have to play the oversight role. We are satisfied that we have done our mandate today,” he said.

MPs led by Julius Sunkuli visiting the site where the new MTRH multi-speciality hospital is under construction in Eldoret