Ruto defies Natembeya, vows to proceed with Sh1bn Kitale Hospital project

President William Ruto has vowed to proceed with plans to upgrade Kitale Level 5 Hospital despite Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya’s opposition, intensifying a dispute over development projects and the constitutional division of responsibilities between national and county governments.

Speaking during an Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) service in Kapsabet, Nandi County, on Sunday, Ruto defended his administration’s hospital construction programme, arguing that expanding healthcare infrastructure would bring services closer to patients who struggle to travel long distances for treatment.

“Just the other day, I went to launch the Kitale project,” Ruto said, referring to the hospital project in Kitale, the Trans Nzoia county headquarters.

The President’s remarks came a day after Natembeya vowed to resist the Sh1 billion hospital project, arguing that healthcare is a devolved function and accusing the national government of interfering with county responsibilities.

The governor has threatened to camp at the construction site when work begins, maintaining that his objection is not against improving healthcare but concerns respect for the Constitution and consultation with county authorities.

Ruto, however, defended the need to construct more hospitals, saying patients should not be forced to travel long distances to access treatment.

“Can a sick person travel all the way to Nandi to seek treatment? Some patients are too ill to travel to where the hospitals are. So we must work to build more hospitals,” he said.

The President’s argument was that additional facilities would help patients access medical services closer to their homes, particularly when illness makes travelling difficult.

The hospital dispute is the latest confrontation between Ruto and Natembeya over development priorities, stalled projects and the management of public infrastructure in Trans Nzoia.

During a visit to the county on October 10, Ruto criticised delays in completing Endebess Hospital, saying Sh240 million had already been spent on the project and another Sh100 million was needed to finish it.

He also raised concerns over Kenyatta Stadium in Kitale, pledging government intervention to address delays affecting the facility.

The disagreement intensified during the President’s development tour, when he launched the Sh1 billion Kitale Level 5 Hospital upgrade. Natembeya subsequently vowed to oppose the project, citing the division of functions between the two levels of government.

The two leaders have also clashed over Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale. Ruto presided over its launch, but Natembeya disputed the move, saying the county government had developed the market and accusing the national government of taking credit for a devolved project.

The governor has argued that national government investments should respect county mandates and has questioned the prioritisation of some projects, including the hospital upgrade, over other development needs.

The disagreements have exposed growing political tensions between the two leaders as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election, with both development delivery and the implementation of devolution emerging as key points of contention.

During Sunday’s church service, Ruto announced an additional Sh100 million for the expansion of Kapsabet Hospital, raising the planned allocation from Sh400 million to Sh500 million.

He said the additional funding followed a request for another wing to increase the facility’s capacity.

“Your governor asked me whether you would like to have another wing there to improve services, and I have agreed that we should add one. The project was initially allocated Sh400 million, but I have agreed to add another Sh100 million, bringing the total to Sh500 million,” the President maintained.

Ruto also cited hospital projects in Kakamega, Bungoma and other counties, saying his administration intended to expand healthcare infrastructure across the country. He said construction of 15 additional hospitals was planned to begin in 2027.

The President linked the hospital programme to his administration’s universal health coverage agenda, saying the Social Health Authority (SHA) was helping expand access to healthcare.

He said more than 630,000 residents of Nandi County had registered with SHA and urged health facility managers to prioritise medicines and medical supplies when spending funds received through the scheme.

The Kitale hospital dispute now places healthcare investment at the centre of a wider debate over devolution, public accountability and the respective roles of national and county governments in delivering development projects.