Amsons Group has broken ground on the first of 10 mother-and-child Level 4 hospitals it plans to construct across Kenya under a KES 4.5 billion (US$35 million) grant, with the inaugural facility launched in Chebunyo, Bomet County, at an event presided over by President William Ruto.

The project, branded “Amsons Mama na Mtoto Kwanza”, will be delivered under a Build, Equip, and Transfer (BoT) model in partnership with the Ministry of Health, according to the media release issued by the company. The group said the 10 facilities will be located in Nairobi (two hospitals), Kwale, Mombasa, Garissa, Kisumu, Embu, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu and West Pokot, and are targeted for completion within two years.

The development adds to Kenya’s ongoing push to reduce maternal and newborn deaths by expanding access to higher-level facilities, particularly outside major urban centres. Level 4 hospitals serve as key county referral facilities in Kenya’s health system, providing inpatient services, maternity care and more advanced diagnostics than primary care facilities.

At the Bomet event, Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi said the company’s foundation would finance the programme and deliver the facilities on an accelerated timeline. “This ceremony marks the beginning of a major commitment by Amsons Group to support the Government of Kenya in improving access to quality maternal, newborn and child healthcare,” Nahdi said.

He added: “Through Amsons Group Foundation, we are investing US$ 35 million to establish ten mother-and-child hospitals across Kenya within two years. This Level 4 facility in Chebunyo is the first of those ten hospitals and will set the standard for the facilities that will follow.” At an indicative exchange rate of about KES 129 per US dollar, the investment equals roughly KES 4.5 billion (US$35 million).

Amsons said each of the 10 hospitals will have a 250-bed capacity and is intended to serve women seeking pre- and postnatal care in remote and rural locations. The company stated that national and county governments would support operations through staffing and medical supplies.

The media release positioned the initiative as a private-sector contribution to maternal health outcomes, citing “available statistics” indicating that “5,000 children and 3,600 mothers die at delivery,” and that “26 counties” are identified as high-burden maternal death counties. The statement did not cite the source of these statistics.

President Ruto, according to the release, linked the hospitals to the government’s health infrastructure agenda. He said Amsons Group’s support would help deepen ongoing health infrastructure expansion under the national Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) project. The President said the Ministry of Health intends to implement the HSS Project to increase the number of adequately equipped health facilities, especially at Level 4 and 5, to serve as first points of access for inpatient care, referrals, emergency and critical services, and advanced diagnostics and treatment.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the project highlights a growing model where large corporates and foundations finance public-service infrastructure under structured partnerships such as BoT arrangements. If executed on schedule, the programme could also create construction and equipment procurement opportunities across multiple counties, while shifting long-term operating responsibility to public health authorities.

Next steps will include construction progress at Chebunyo and confirmation of groundbreaking timelines for the remaining nine sites, as well as details of procurement, handover milestones and operational readiness plans between the Ministry of Health and the respective county governments.