Ruto launches KDF hospital accessible to civilians in Lanet

President William Ruto on Wednesday launched the first Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) hospital open to civilians under the Ulinzi Prime Health Services Fund (UPHSF), marking a major shift in how military medical resources are shared with the public.

The launch took place at Lanet Barracks in Nakuru County, where the Head of State praised KDF for supporting the push towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by extending their healthcare services to a wider group of Kenyans.

"These initiatives will enable members of the defence community to access military referral hospitals through existing insurance schemes, including the Social Health Insurance Fund and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund," Ruto said.

The new hospital is part of a broader plan to make military health services available to civilians, especially retired KDF personnel, their families, and those referred for specialised care.

The President noted that such facilities bring essential services closer to the people, strengthen our national health system, and reaffirm the KDF’s dual mandate to defend and to care.

The 150-bed facility is among those that will be partially opened under the UPHSF, which was established by the Defence Council in July 2022.

Through this plan, the government aims to open Level IV, V, and VI military facilities to select civilian patients on a fee-for-service model.

The move is expected to bring in an estimated Sh10.21 billion over five years.

These funds will go toward modernising and sustaining military hospitals.

The President noted that the decision to share KDF’s medical infrastructure will help strengthen the national healthcare system while also improving service delivery through collaboration between state institutions.

He added that using what is already available, rather than building new facilities from scratch, is part of a more efficient approach to public service.

"Our growing network of KDF hospitals, strategically distributed nationwide, reflects the evolving role of the military in safeguarding human security and well-being," Ruto said.

The KDF currently has 780 hospital beds, and nearly half of them will now be accessible to civilians.

"This is not just about access, it is about using what we already have to make life better for all Kenyans," Ruto said.

The integration of military resources into public use also supports the government’s wider development strategy, which aims to ensure that all government departments contribute directly to public welfare.