The Nairobi City County Assembly is considering a landmark proposal aimed at transforming healthcare delivery across the capital. The Nairobi City County Health Services Bill, 2025, sponsored by Kilimani MCA and Majority Whip Moses Ogeto, seeks to establish a legal framework for managing and regulating health services under the county government.
The Bill proposes the establishment of at least one level two hospital in each of Nairobi’s 85 wards, and level four hospitals in 70 sub-counties, in a bid to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. It also aims to create a structured referral system linking community health units to higher-level facilities and grant greater autonomy to level five hospitals to manage their own procurement, planning, and operations.
According to MCA Ogeto, the Bill will decentralise healthcare delivery and bring services closer to the people, in line with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda. “You cannot talk about UHC when some wards lack a single clinic,” he said, adding that the proposed law would ensure every Nairobi resident can access basic care within their neighbourhood.
The Bill also seeks to give legal backing to ongoing and stalled health projects, compelling the county to build and operationalise facilities in all wards. Ogeto said this will remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that have slowed the delivery of health services in the past.
Once enacted, the law is expected to strengthen Nairobi’s public health system and reduce congestion in major hospitals like Kenyatta National, Mbagathi, and Pumwani. It has been referred to the County Assembly’s Sectoral Committee on Health Services for scrutiny and public participation before moving to the next stage of debate.
If implemented, the Nairobi City County Health Services Bill, 2025, will mark a major milestone in devolved healthcare by anchoring essential medical services at the ward level and ensuring Nairobi’s growing population has access to quality, affordable care closer to home.
More Stories
From Murang’a to Studying Medicine Abroad: How St. George’s University is Shaping Linus Njoroge’s Dream of Becoming a Doctor
Crossing Continents for Care: How Linus Njoroge Is Training to Heal the World