BOMET, Kenya – Amsons Group has broken ground on the first of 10 Mother and Child hospitals it plans to construct across Kenya in a Sh4.5 billion healthcare initiative targeting maternal and newborn deaths.
President William Ruto laid the foundation stone for the Chebunyo Amsons Mother and Baby Hospital in Chepalungu Constituency, Bomet County, on Saturday, September 12, marking the start of the nationwide project.
The initiative, known as Mama na Mtoto Kwanza, is being funded through a US$35 million (about Sh4.5 billion) grant from the Amsons Group Foundation. Amsons Group, the parent company of Bamburi Cement and East African Portland Cement, will construct and equip the hospitals before handing them over to the government.
The project comes as Kenya continues to face gaps in access to specialised maternal and newborn healthcare, particularly in underserved communities.
Ruto said the Chebunyo facility would bring critical services closer to women and children in Bomet and surrounding areas.
“No woman should lose her life while giving life. And no child should be denied a fair start because essential care is unavailable,” Ruto said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
He added that families should not have to travel long distances or spend their savings seeking maternal and newborn services that should be available closer to home.
The Chebunyo facility will operate as a Level 4 hospital with a capacity of between 200 and 250 beds. The hospital will provide antenatal care, labour and delivery services, maternity and obstetric intensive care, postnatal care, newborn services and neonatal intensive care. It will also include dedicated maternity and neonatal theatres, an isolation unit, a mothers’ hostel, a pharmacy and health-information services.
Ruto directed that construction should move quickly, setting a six-month completion target for the first facility.
The President said the Chebunyo hospital should be ready for commissioning by March 2027.
“This timetable must be honoured, the required standards must be upheld and every shilling must deliver value to the people,” Ruto said.
The President linked the project to the broader government effort to expand healthcare infrastructure and improve access to maternal and child services.
According to Ruto, approximately 16 women die every day from pregnancy-related causes in Kenya. He also said fewer than half of health facilities provide maternity services, while only about one-third offer emergency obstetric care.
The Chebunyo project therefore seeks to address both infrastructure shortages and the distance many women face when seeking specialised care.
Amsons Group will finance construction and equipment under the initiative before transferring the completed facilities to the government. The government will then take responsibility for staffing and supplying the hospitals as they become operational.
Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi said the company intends to complete all 10 facilities within two years. The project expands Amsons Group’s footprint in Kenya beyond its cement operations and places the conglomerate at the centre of a major private-sector intervention in public healthcare.
The company recently became the controlling shareholder of Bamburi Cement, while also controlling East African Portland Cement.
The government previously approved the construction of 10 Mother and Child hospitals under the Mother and Child Lifeline Initiative.
The Cabinet announced the sites in June 2026, listing facilities in Magadi Road in Nairobi, Galmagalla in Fafi, Garissa County, Siakago in Embu, Kisumu County Referral Hospital, Kabichbich in West Pokot, Huruma in Uasin Gishu, Tudor in Mombasa, Bahati in Nakuru, Samburu in Kwale and Chebunyo in Bomet.
Chebunyo became the first site to move into construction following the September 12 groundbreaking.
The government and Amsons Group selected the locations to improve access to maternal and newborn services in areas where communities face healthcare infrastructure gaps. The initiative will also complement government investments in health workers, medicines, equipment and healthcare financing.
Ruto said the national government would continue working with county governments to ensure the facilities become fully operational once construction ends.
The 10 hospitals will create dedicated spaces for maternal and newborn care rather than relying solely on general hospital infrastructure.
Their planned services cover the entire continuum of care, from antenatal services and labour to delivery, postnatal treatment and specialised neonatal care.
Ruto said the investment should help Kenya reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths by bringing specialised services closer to communities.
