The National Police Service Referral Hospital (NPSRH) was on Monday, September 1, officially opened in an event presided over by Acting Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Lesiyampe.
In an update, KNH said the 200-bed facility is now operational, with services dedicated to members of the National Police Service (NPS) and their families.
A team of 130 staff have been deployed to run the new facility, under the leadership of KNH Acting Director Raheli Mukhwana alongside Ronald Opili from the National Police Service.
Lesiyampe became the first registered patient under the hospital’s fully paperless system, making NPSRH a pioneer in automation within the public healthcare sector.
Read More
Lesiyampe urged staff to maximize available resources, work as a team, and uphold compassion in service delivery.
He expressed confidence that the hospital will set a new benchmark for innovation and efficiency in the public healthcare system.
"Lesiyampe called on staff to maximize available resources, embrace teamwork, and keep compassion at the center of care. He expressed confidence that NPSRH will set a new benchmark for innovation and automation in public healthcare," KNH said in its statement.
NPSRH was officially commissioned in November 2021 by then President Uhuru Kenyatta as a Level IV referral hospital designed to provide specialized services such as trauma care, emergency response, counseling, and psychosocial support.
Construction of the hospital was undertaken by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in collaboration with the National Police Service (NPS).
Located near KNH along Raila Odinga Road in Nairobi, the facility cost about Ksh1.2 billion.
By May 2024, the hospital was fully built and handed over to the Interior Ministry, however, despite being complete and even staffed, it remained unused for years.
The delays in opening stemmed from financial and administrative challenges.
Although the contractor had delivered the hospital, only about Ksh400 million of the project’s total cost had been paid, leaving a debt of over Ksh833 million outstanding.
By early 2025, questions about the unused facility gained momentum, especially after NPS renewed its private insurance contract with APA Insurance.
In April 2025, a joint technical committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Defence and NPS was established to unlock the stalemate.
Soon after, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale convened high-level consultative meetings with Inspector General Douglas Kanja and other senior police officials to chart a path forward.
"Our discussions centred on fast-tracking the hospital’s opening, exploring efficient management models and enhancing the welfare of NPS personnel through improved healthcare access.
"I reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to equipping the facility under the National Equipment Services Programme (NESP), ensuring consistent access to modern medical technology," the CS said.
The discussions bore fruit in August 2025 when the hospital’s equipping and management plans were finalized under the National Equipment Services Programme.
