Waiguru to commission Kianyaga Level IV hospital and eyes deputy president seat
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru speaking during an inspection tour of the complex in Kianyaga town
The Kirinyaga governor inspects the near-complete 140-bed facility as allies publicly back her bid for the country’s second-highest office ahead of 2027.
By Rose Njeri
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru announced Friday that the new Kianyaga Level IV Hospital will be commissioned before the end of the year, with equipping of the 140-bed facility already under way and construction fully complete.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the complex in Kianyaga town, Waiguru said the facility would offer comprehensive medical services to approximately 300 patients daily, incorporating a modern maternity wing, a newborn unit, surgical theatres, diagnostic laboratories, pre-natal and post-natal wards, kangaroo mother care, outpatient and inpatient units, and an emergency and accident section.
The upgrade from a Level III to a Level IV facility marks a significant shift in the county’s healthcare capacity. Patients who previously required referral to Kerugoya County Referral Hospital will now receive specialist care closer to home — a change that health workers and residents in the region have long sought.
Waiguru framed the commission as the fulfilment of a campaign pledge made during her successful 2022 re-election bid. “There could be those who doubted whether I would deliver, but you can now see I have delivered the development promise,” she said. “The hospital is now here for all to see.”
The visit, however, carried a political charge that extended well beyond healthcare. Waiguru used the occasion to openly campaign for President William Ruto’s re-election in 2027, urging Mount Kenya voters to back a leader she described as best placed to serve the region’s interests. She challenged residents to prioritise candidates with proven development track records over those riding on party affiliation alone. “After carefully assessing the competing political camps and their development agenda, I am convinced Ruto has the best interest for Mount Kenya,” she said.
Waiguru also made her own ambitions explicit. Having served the constitutional maximum of two terms as governor, she confirmed she was seeking the Deputy President position, citing her record in county governance and her earlier experience in national government as qualifications for the role. “I have finished my two terms and now I want to go up,” she said. “I believe I have the qualifications and experience required to help navigate some of the challenges facing the country.”
Her remarks drew immediate endorsements from two legislators present at the event. Nyeri Women Representative Rahab Mukami was unequivocal. “My Deputy President candidate for 2027 is Anne Waiguru — she is tested and proven,” Mukami said, urging voters to rally behind one of their own for the country’s second-highest office. Kirinyaga Central MP Gachoki Gitari also threw his weight behind the governor.
Mukami went further, calling for greater inclusion of women at the apex of national leadership, noting that Kenya had yet to elect a woman to the presidency despite women constituting a majority of the electorate.
With the hospital set to open and a deputy presidential campaign now openly under way, Waiguru appears determined to convert a healthcare delivery story into a political one — and in Mount Kenya, where development credentials carry considerable electoral weight, the calculation may prove sound.
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