Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that Garissa Teaching and Referral Hospital will be upgraded to a Level 6 National Referral Hospital. It becomes the first such facility in Kenya’s former North Eastern Province.
The elevation will position the hospital as the leading healthcare, specialist treatment and medical training hub for northern Kenya, serving Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties.
The centre also draws patients from a vast catchment area that includes Machakos, Kitui, Tana River, Lamu, Isiolo, Marsabit and Meru counties.
CS Duale said President William Ruto will meet local leaders from Garissa and the wider region on Monday before formally announcing the hospital’s elevation.
The transition is expected to unlock significant investment in modern infrastructure, specialist medical personnel, advanced equipment and expanded medical training programmes.
“Garissa Teaching and Referral Hospital, which was previously a provincial general hospital, was the only one remaining to be elevated,” Duale said.
He noted that President Ruto has overseen the elevation of former provincial hospitals in all of Kenya’s eight former provincial headquarters into national referral hospitals.
The upgraded Garissa National Referral Hospital is expected to significantly improve access to specialised healthcare for millions of people across northern Kenya, many of whom currently travel long distances to seek advanced treatment.
The facility already receives referrals from across northern and eastern Kenya and is expected to expand its role further.
The hospital will also continue serving patients from neighbouring countries, particularly southern Somalia and parts of Ethiopia, many of whom already seek emergency and specialised medical care in Garissa.
The upgrade could strengthen the county’s position as an emerging regional healthcare hub.
The takeover is also viewed as a major milestone in efforts to promote equitable access to quality healthcare in northern Kenya.
The vast semi-arid region which shares a porous border with Somalia that has historically faced significant shortages in specialised medical services.
The National Government administered facility targets to bring substantial investment in state-of-the-art facilities, increased recruitment of specialist healthcare workers and expanded opportunities for training medical professionals.
It is aimed at strengthening services in emergency medicine, surgery, maternal and child health, critical care and the management of chronic diseases.
For residents of Garissa and neighbouring counties, the upgrade will reduce the need for referrals to Nairobi and other distant hospitals, lowering treatment costs for patients while improving access to specialised care closer to home.
CS Duale said the move is in line with the government’s broader agenda of strengthening Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by decentralising specialised healthcare services across the country.
Garissa Teaching and Referral Hospital has long served as the principal referral facility for northern Kenya.
Its elevation to a Level 6 National Referral Hospital marks the completion of the government’s programme to upgrade former provincial hospitals and cements Garissa’s position as the region’s premier centre for specialised healthcare and medical training.
The announcement comes amid ongoing government focus on improving health infrastructure, attracting investment, and building local capacity in line with Kenya’s development priorities.
