Co-op Bank hands over Sh102m refurbished orthopaedic wards to KNH

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Co-operative Bank of Kenya (Co-op Bank) has completed the Sh102 million reconstruction and equipping of three orthopaedic wards at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi.

The tier-one lender handed over the facilities to the Ministry of Health and the hospital’s management board in a move expected to improve patient outcomes and ease pressure on one of East Africa’s largest referral hospitals.

The bank, through its foundation, said it spent six months on the project, which included the installation of state-of-the-art equipment and new beds across the three wards.

The upgrade is aimed at enabling “much improved health outcomes for patients” and allowing healthcare workers to operate more effectively, the bank said in a statement.

The handover ceremony was attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, KNH Board Chairman Abass Gullet, KNH Chief Executive Officer Richard Lesiyampe and Lydia Rono, Director of Corporate and Institutional Banking at Co-op Bank.

The investment underscores a growing trend of private-sector involvement in Kenya’s public healthcare infrastructure, as the government seeks to plug funding gaps and modernise ageing facilities.

KNH, which handles thousands of referrals annually from across the country, has long faced capacity constraints and equipment shortages in its orthopaedic department.

“The facilities are expected to enable much improved health outcomes for patients and enable healthcare workers to be much more effective,” the bank said.

The refurbished wards are expected to benefit patients recovering from fractures, joint replacements and other orthopaedic procedures, many of whom require prolonged hospital stays. Improved equipment and bedding are likely to reduce complications and speed up recovery times.

Co-op Bank has increasingly positioned itself as a partner in national development, funding projects in health, education and infrastructure through its foundation.

The KNH project is one of its largest single healthcare investments in recent years.

The handover comes as the Health Ministry seeks to upgrade referral hospitals under its broader reform agenda, with public-private partnerships seen as a key financing channel.

KNH serves as a teaching hospital for the University of Nairobi’s Medical School and receives patients from across Kenya and neighbouring countries. Its orthopaedic unit is one of the busiest in the region.

The bank said the project was completed on schedule and within budget.