Githunguri Level 4 Hospital was commissioned to be built in 2018 by Her Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta in a ceremony that gave hope to the locals who sought medical help from the ever busy Kiambu and Kenyatta National Hospitals.
The project was handed over to the County Government of Kiambu to oversight and ensure smooth running of the project. This, however, was not to be as the project faced massive looting from the leadership of the County Government, led by the then Governor, Ferdinand Waititu, who was later impeached for gross misconduct and embezzlement of public funds by the County Assembly of Kiambu and Senate.
The hospital would stall for almost three years, 2019 to 2022, when the doctor in-charge of Githunguri Health Centre, Dr. Faith Mugai, who had been newly transferred to Githunguri Health Centre intervened seeing how the patients had a difficult time seeking medical services as some of the patients died as they were getting referred to different hospitals equipped to help but were far away. This lit a fire of passion to try and find a way out. She made efforts to mobilize her colleagues in a series of morning prayers believing that soon enough, help would be on the way.
Her prayers would be answered in a mysterious way when doors would slowly start to open and the state intervened. This would shock her seeing help in sight. A sense of relief would be felt in the entire facility. Truly, faith moves mountains.
A series of meetings were held between the government and Dr. Faith on the challenges they faced and what help they needed. It was then decided that the Kenya Defence Forces, KDF, would take up the role to finish the project. The reason for this was because a strict deadline was to be met. The disciplined forces had to finish the job in 100 days as it had progressed in stage. They were best suited for the job, no doubt.
The County Government of Kiambu, led by the incumbent Governor James Nyoro on receiving the news, started to hold back the project. In an interview with Inooro TV, the Governor, when asked about the state of the hospital, would make remarks that it would be best to channel the money to build more wards in Kiambu Hospital and market places than use the money to complete Githunguri Hospital.
This did not augur well with the national government officials as they came to realize the County Government had failed to clear the arrears owed to the former contractor, a tune of Ksh. 30 million.
The contractor was advised to sue the Governor in his personal capacity because he was the reason for his woes, paving way for KDF to swing into action and take over the project.
The locals are excited about the project stating that it will be a huge load off their shoulders seeking medical aid from other sub-counties. When complete, the hospital will be a referral and teaching centre to cater to Kiambu County locals and neighboring counties as well. It will also be a state of the art facility, fully equipped with sophisticated machines, ranked second after South Africa and re-established as a Level 6 Hospital.
The United States, Canadian and Danish Governments have pledged support to facilitate where needed.