Patients suffer as Sh3.6 billion kidney institute remains idle six years after planned completion
The delay has raised serious concerns over accountability, with calls for an urgent intervention to ensure the institute starts serving its intended purpose.
Despite a Sh3.6 billion investment, the East Africa Kidney Institute remains non-functional six years after its planned completion, raising concerns over wasted public funds and delayed healthcare services.
A report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has revealed that the government has already begun repaying the multi-billion-shilling loan used to finance the project, yet patients in need of specialised kidney treatment are still forced to seek costly care in private hospitals.
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According to Gathungu’s report for the 2023/2024 financial year, the government had spent Sh2.79 billion on goods and services to set up the institute. However, as of June 30, 2024, the project remained incomplete.
“The delayed project implementation means citizens may not have received value for money, and the centre’s objective of addressing critical health problems, including kidney diseases, has not been realised,” reads the report.
The project, which was supposed to be completed in five years from December 2014, was financed through a Sh3.34 billion loan and Sh334 million in government funding, bringing the total cost to Sh3.67 billion. However, despite the official completion date passing six years ago, the centre remains non-operational.
Health experts have criticised the government for failing to operationalise the facility, questioning why a project of such magnitude remains idle while kidney disease continues to be a growing health crisis in Kenya. Thousands of patients require dialysis and kidney transplants each year, but the public health system remains overstretched.
The project comprised a five-storey medical school featuring wards, laboratories, surgical theatres, high-dependency units, consultation rooms and parking yards.
However, with the centre still idle, patients in need of critical kidney treatment continue to seek expensive care in private hospitals, while public facilities struggle to meet the demand.
In early January 2025, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced that the Institute (EAKI) would be commissioned soon at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), to become a regional hub for comprehensive renal care.
The facility is expected to provide a range of services, including dialysis and kidney transplants, aiming to reduce the need for Kenyans to seek such treatments abroad.
“The East Africa Kidney Institute will be an international service centre, providing a one-stop shop for all renal-related services,” Kindiki said during a press briefing at Kenyatta National Hospital.
“This initiative is designed to cut down on the expenses and struggles Kenyans face when travelling abroad for kidney transplants,” he said.
However, its delay has raised serious concerns over accountability, with calls for an urgent intervention to ensure the institute starts serving its intended purpose.
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