History

 

The first hospital at Kijabe mission station, Theodora Hospital, was established in 1915. This served the medical needs of the area until 1957 when church leaders sensed a need for a referral medical centre. In 1961, the first building of the present complex was erected and opened with a 65-bed capacity and a small surgical unit. By 1969, the second building was finished which included a 30-bed maternity unit, 3 private rooms and a well designed and equipped theatre.

In 1968, another building project was begun to fulfill government requirements for a school for enrolled community nurses. In 1970, a dormitory was completed for housing 48 students. In 1977, the German National Church agreed to fund a project to double the bed capacity of the hospital, and by 1980 the majority of the building was completed.

The three and a half year community nurse training program began in 1980, the same year that President Moi officially opened the new outpatient building. In 1991, the dental department began a two-year program for training Kenyan dentists. The most recent initiative which began in 1995 involves training Christian Kenyan doctors in a new Intern Training Program.

A Board of Governers was established in 1972 and since then, Kijabe Hospital has been a church rather than a mission hospital. It is operated by the Africa Inland Church(AIC) as part of a network of four hospitals and forty-five dispensaries located throughout Kenya.