Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH): Everything to know about Kenya's biggest referral hospital

Kenyatta National Hospital began in 1901 as the Native Civil Hospital, with just 40 beds.

It was later renamed King George VI Hospital before becoming Kenyatta National Hospital after Kenya's independence.

In 1987, KNH became a State Corporation.

Its role also changed as the hospital grew.

After independence, KNH was designated a national teaching hospital with three core functions: providing specialised referral care, supporting medical education and facilitating research.

Today, KNH describes itself as the largest referral and teaching hospital in Kenya, serving patients from the country and the wider Great Lakes, Southern and Central African regions.

What makes KNH a level-6 facility?

KNH sits at the top of Kenya's public hospital referral system as a Level 6 national referral and teaching hospital.

In practical terms, this means it handles cases that require highly specialised treatment, advanced equipment and teams of specialists that may not be available at lower levels of care.

Its services include open-heart surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery, burns management, critical care, neonatal care, oncology, ophthalmology, liver surgery and kidney transplantation.

Patients can therefore arrive at KNH after being referred from another hospital when their condition requires specialist attention.

How big is Kenyatta National Hospital?

KNH's current website lists a 2,400-bed capacity, 50 wards, 24 outpatient clinics, 26 theatres and 82 ICU beds.

It says the hospital handles about 949,000 inpatients and 800,000 outpatients annually.

The hospital's published figures have changed over time as facilities have expanded. Its historical page, for example, still cites an older 1,800-bed capacity.

The 2,400 figure is the current capacity stated on KNH's main institutional profile.

Specialist care at KNH

KNH's clinical services cover a wide range of medical and surgical disciplines.

Its medical services include paediatrics, cardiology, cancer treatment, renal medicine, dermatology, mental health and nutrition, while surgical services include general and specialised surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics and emergency care.

Diagnostic services include radiology and laboratory medicine.

The hospital also operates specialised centres dealing with cancer, neonatology, organ transplantation, orthopaedics and sports medicine, infectious diseases, forensic and pathology services, mother and child health and trauma care.

Its Centre for Kidney Diseases and Organ Transplantation, for example, provides dialysis, kidney transplantation, transplant follow-up and related specialist services.

Can you walk into KNH without a referral?

For routine specialised care, KNH is a referral hospital.

Its official guidance says patients generally need a referral to access its specialist clinics.

There is an important exception:

Emergency cases are treated through the Accident and Emergency Unit without a referral letter.

KNH says patients seeking routine clinic services should normally have a referral before booking an appointment.

KNH also operates a referral system through which healthcare facilities can refer patients to the hospital.

KNH's private wing

The hospital's services are not limited to its general public-facing facilities.

The KNH Prime Care Centre (KPCC) provides private inpatient and outpatient care.

Its inpatient unit has 224 beds and includes medical and surgical wards, maternity, a high-dependency unit, critical care and private rooms.

Its Corporate Outpatient Clinic is open to the public and, according to KNH, does not require a referral letter.

KNH has more than one campus

KNH's operations extend beyond its main Upper Hill complex.

The hospital's operational areas include the KNH General Wing, KNH Prime Care Centre, Mwai Kibaki Hospital in Othaya and Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital.

That expansion reflects how KNH's role has grown from a single hospital into a wider network providing specialized healthcare.

The impact around KNH

For more than a century, KNH has occupied a distinctive position in Kenya's health system.

It is simultaneously a referral centre for complex cases, a teaching institution for healthcare professionals, a research facility and a provider of highly specialised treatment.

Its importance is therefore not simply measured by the number of beds or patients it handles.

When a case moves beyond what a local or county hospital can manage, KNH is often where the next level of care begins.