A few days after resuming his role as Vice Chancellor of Kenyatta University, Professor Paul Wainaina pledged to restore the university’s authority over the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH). This commitment aims to enhance the training environment for medical and science students.
Speaking passionately about the challenges faced by students in health-related courses, Professor Wainaina highlighted the substandard conditions of their current training facilities. Although a world-class facility exists on the university’s premises, Kenyatta University students are forced to conduct practical training in under-equipped level-five hospitals in Kiambu and Thika.
“All our students in health programmes, such as medicine, pharmacy, nursing, public health, and medical laboratory sciences, have been struggling with substandard facilities,” Wainaina noted. “This significantly undermines the quality of education we provide. That is why it is vital for the university to regain control of KUTRRH.”
The Vice-Chancellor, whose term ends next year, said he would consider his tenure successful if the hospital were reintegrated into university operations. His sentiments were echoed by Vincent Ochieng, the Congress representative for Health and Science students, who revealed that students have never accessed the hospital since its opening.
“While students from other universities train in level-six hospitals, we are confined to poorly equipped lower-tier facilities,” said Ochieng. “It is even more frustrating because a Senate committee ruled in our favor, but nothing has changed.”
The Senate Health Committee, led by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, issued a June 2024 report recommending that Kenyatta University resume management of KUTRRH. The university lost decision-making authority after Legal Notice No. 39 of 2021 transformed the hospital into a parastatal, removing the Vice Chancellor and a university council representative from its board.
The committee’s report called for revoking the legal notice, arguing that the hospital’s original mandate as a training and research centre for Kenyatta University students must be preserved. Additionally, the committee directed KUTRRH to hand over its academic and training block to the Kenyatta University School of Health Sciences within three months, while permitting the university to establish an anatomy laboratory. The hospital will retain its mortuary within the block.
These directives followed a formal petition by student leader Jafar Kasay and others, urging Parliament to restore Kenyatta University students’ access to the hospital. Despite clear recommendations and student advocacy, implementation has stalled. As Professor Wainaina begins the final phase of his leadership, the university community hopes his determination will bridge the gap between Kenyatta University and its flagship health facility, restoring both access and purpose.
