NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 14 – The government has committed Sh200 million for the construction of a new Level 4 hospital in Mutito, Kitui County, to be named the Nzamba Kitonga Memorial Hospital in honour of the late Senior Counsel Nzamba Kitonga, who chaired the Committee of Experts (CoE) that drafted Kenya’s 2010 Constitution.
President William Ruto announced the investment during a meeting with Kitui Governor Julius Malombe and county health officials at State Lodge Kitui on Friday, where discussions focused on strengthening collaboration to enhance healthcare delivery in the region.
“We are collaborating with county governments in improving and strengthening the provision of universal healthcare under the Social Health Authority,” President Ruto said.
“We are ensuring that primary healthcare and social health insurance comprehensively serve the people of Kenya.”
He noted that the government is modernising public health facilities through the National Equipment Service Programme, which supplies and maintains advanced medical technologies—including MRI, CT scanners, X-ray and ultrasound machines—under a fee-for-service model.
The initiative aims to equip hospitals with modern diagnostic and treatment tools to expand access and improve service delivery nationwide.
“As part of our discussions, we agreed that the National Government will provide Sh200 million to build a Level 4 facility at Mutito to [be] named Nzamba Kitonga Memorial Hospital in honour of the late chairman of the Committee of Experts,” the President said.
Justice Nzamba Kitonga‘s legacy
Justice Nzamba Kitonga, SC, who died on October 24, 2020, is one of the region’s most distinguished legal minds, with a career spanning decades across national and international institutions.
He served as the first President of the restructured two-tier COMESA Court of Justice from 2005 to 2015, during which the Court delivered several landmark decisions that strengthened the rule of law, boosted investor confidence, and clarified critical elements of the COMESA legal framework.
Among the notable rulings was a decision compelling the refund of customs duties unlawfully levied between COMESA Free Trade Area member states.
He also presided over the relocation of the Court to its permanent seat in Khartoum, Sudan.
Justice Kitonga’s most enduring legacy remains his leadership of the CoE, which produced the 2010 Constitution, a transformative document that reshaped Kenya’s governance architecture.
