The Kenya Prisons Service has achieved a major milestone in healthcare with the operationalisation of the Magereza Level IV Hospital, a state-of-the-art 150-bed facility.
Named after the late Wanini Kireri, the first female Commandant of the Prisons Staff Training College, the hospital is set to enhance access to specialized medical services across the country’s correctional institutions.
Strategically located at the Prisons Staff Training College (PSTC) in Ruiru, Kiambu County, the hospital is poised to serve officers, inmates, and surrounding communities.
At the commissioning ceremony, Kenya Prisons Service Commissioner General Patrick Aranduh highlighted the importance of the new facility.
“The operationalisation of the Magereza Level IV Hospital today marks a very important milestone for the Kenya Prisons Service. It reflects the deliberate and consistent efforts of the government to improve the welfare of our officers, inmates and the community that surrounds our institutions,” Aranduh said.
He noted that the hospital is designed to address long-standing healthcare challenges, particularly the need to transport officers and inmates to external hospitals for specialized treatment.
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“For many years, the Kenya Prisons Service has faced challenges in providing specialised and referral healthcare services to our officers and inmates, especially in institutions located in remote areas,” he said. “In cases where officers fell sick or sustained injuries in the line of duty, we were often forced to rely on external public or private medical institutions. This arrangement has not only been costly but has sometimes delayed access to timely medical attention.”
The new facility will alleviate these challenges by bringing critical services closer to the people.
“Healthcare is a critical component of an effective prison system. When our officers are well taken care of, they are better able to carry out their duties effectively. Likewise, when inmates receive proper medical care, it contributes significantly to their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society,” Aranduh added.
Equipped with modern medical amenities, the hospital features an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), High Dependency Unit (HDU), radiology and laboratory services, and dental and physiotherapy units. Additional services include maternity care, pediatric wards, male and female inpatient wards, orthopaedic services, nutritional support, renal care, and a fully stocked pharmacy.
Aranduh revealed that over 95 healthcare professionals have been deployed to the facility, ensuring seamless operations from day one.
“These include doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and other specialised healthcare personnel. Their presence ensures that the hospital is well prepared to deliver quality and efficient healthcare services from the outset,” he said.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga and Correctional Services counterpart Salome Beacco attended the ceremony. Oluga emphasized the government’s commitment to quality healthcare access for all Kenyans, including inmates.
“We are doing everything to ensure that we solve the problems that make Kenyans poor when they get sick or the things that make Kenyans die when they should not die unnecessarily,” she said.
“When we see serious hospitals like this one that have been built to standard and are state-of-the-art, we want to extract value from them, and that value means service delivery.”
The facility is expected to reduce reliance on national referral hospitals such as Kenyatta National Hospital, particularly for specialized treatments.
“This hospital will sort out the challenges of transporting inmates from far and wide places to Kenyatta National Hospital, where other Kenyans are also seeking services,” Oluga said.
She further highlighted the hospital’s capabilities, including dialysis, surgical theatres, ICU, HDU, maternity care, and emergency treatment.
“There is dialysis here, theatres, ICU, HDU, and maternity services. There is almost nothing that this facility cannot handle,” she noted.
Serving over 30,000 prison officers and 60,000 inmates, the hospital underscores the government’s commitment to upholding healthcare as a fundamental human right.
“We have a very special responsibility to ensure that every person, whether incarcerated or not, has access to healthcare. That is part of the fundamental human rights enshrined in our Constitution,” Oluga said.
Plans are underway to further equip the hospital through the national equipment service program, filling gaps such as ventilators and monitors to achieve full operational standards.
“We are going to tap into the national equipment service program to fill the remaining gaps, such as ventilators and monitors, in the ICU and HDU, so that within a few weeks, the hospital becomes fully equipped,” she said.
Beacco emphasized that the hospital aligns with presidential directives and broader welfare reforms in the correctional services.
“The operationalisation of this ultra-modern facility is in direct compliance with the presidential directive issued during the recent pass-out parade of Kenya Prisons Service recruits,” she said.
“The hospital is part of ongoing reforms within the department aimed at improving the welfare of those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. This development has adopted a whole-of-government approach through collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Kiambu County Government to improve access to quality healthcare.”
She also revealed ongoing discussions to formalize partnerships with the Ministry of Health and Kiambu County Government to support the deployment of specialist medical personnel.
“Discussions are underway towards formalising an MoU with the Ministry of Health and Kiambu County Government to facilitate the deployment and support of specialist medical personnel to the facility,” Beacco said.
Officials at the ceremony included Director of Curative and Nursing Services Andrew Toro, Kenya Prisons Deputy Commissioner General (Administration) Nicholas Maswai, National Police Service Director of Administration Peter Sichangi, and Kiambu County government representative Peter Kichange.
