The History of Nairobi Hospital 

The introduction of Western healthcare services to Nairobi dates back to 1899 during the establishment of a settlement in the region by railway officials. The Railway Medical Department, initiated by the colonial government, was responsible for providing medical treatment to European railway workers. However, as the European population increased with the progression of railway construction, the necessity for a hospital capable of accommodating this burgeoning settler community became evident. 

Healthcare Evolution in a Growing Settler Community 

In 1902, a hospital emerged on Nairobi Hill (later known as Hospital Hill) to meet these growing demands. Named the Nairobi European Hospital, this medical facility catered to the European population in Nairobi – including those not employed by the colonial government. Given the relatively small European population in the East Africa Protectorate during that time, the hospital was modest in size and relatively quiet, admitting just 33 patients in 1905. However, the relocation of the East Africa Protectorate headquarters from Machakos to Nairobi in 1907 resulted in an influx of European residents to the town, necessitating the construction of a larger and more permanent hospital. The construction began in 1907 and concluded in 1908, enabling the new hospital to provide treatment for tropical diseases like malaria and dysentery.  

Image credit: Northwestern University

Following the Second World War, the surge of white settlers in colonial Kenya prompted a demand for expanded healthcare services. Consequently, the Kenya European Hospital Association was established in 1950 with the aim of enhancing medical services for Europeans. Under the leadership of its inaugural chairman, Rudolf Anderson, a notable Nairobi entrepreneur, the association acquired the Maia Carberry Nursing Home (now the Kenya School of Law). Established in 1929 by Lady MacMillan and named after the first European woman to pilot a plane from Mombasa to Nairobi non-stop, this nursing home was converted it into a men’s hospital. In 1952, the association oversaw the construction of a new facility that would focus on women’s healthcare. Upon completion, the new facility was named the Princess Elizabeth Hospital (now The University of Nairobi Dental School) 

Due to further demand for health services, the association needed to construct a larger building and procured the old Polo Grounds on Hurlingham Road (now Argwings Kodhek Road). The foundation stone for the new Nairobi European Hospital was laid in October 1952 by Sir Evelyn Baring, the Governor of the Colony of Kenya, the same day that he signed a declaration of a state of emergency which led to the arrest of many freedom fighters. Once the new hospital building was completed, the old one was repurposed into a school, later known as State House Girls’ High School. On April 9, 1954, the new hospital was officially inaugurated.  

Expanding Facilities and Shifting Demographics 

A significant turning point occurred on October 19, 1961, when the hospital’s board decided to eliminate its exclusive European focus, opening its doors to patients and medical staff of all races. This change led to the renaming of the hospital as The Nairobi Hospital and the transformation of the European Hospital Association into the Kenya Hospital Association. The hospital’s inclusivity was exemplified by Dr. Chris Obura, the first African doctor to practice at the Nairobi Hospital. 

A new dawn was ushered in Kenya in 1963 when the country gained independence. This changing time was marked with an exodus of Europeans from Kenya, causing a decline in the hospital’s patient population. The financial difficulties that followed made readjustments necessary; the Kenya Hospital Association sold the Maia Carberry Nursing Home to the government in 1963 and the Princess Elizabeth Hospital was also sold soon after, thus concentrating the Nairobi Hospital to its present size.   

Milestones in Medical Pioneering 

The seventies marked a period of substantial growth in the hospital’s capacity. In 1970, a four-bed Intensive Care Unit was constructed to care for patients in critical condition. Four years later, the North Wing, affectionately termed the ‘Hilton on the Hill’ for its luxurious five-star amenities and spaciousness, was unveiled. Notably, a primary purpose behind its creation was to accommodate the aging and ailing former President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.  

Undeniably, the inception of the Nairobi Hospital as a haven for the privileged members of society has granted it a notable edge over its healthcare counterparts across Kenya. This distinction is vividly illuminated by its extensive sequence of medical achievements, spanning from its pioneering accomplishment of the first kidney transplant on the African continent (excluding South Africa) in 1978, to being the vanguard of introducing a hydrotherapy pool to Kenya in 1992, and as the premier medical institution in East Africa to successfully implant a dual-chamber pacemaker in a patient in 2006. 

Continuing Legacy 

In the face of adversity, the Nairobi Hospital has consistently radiated a beacon of optimism, even during Kenya’s most challenging moments in history. Notably, in the aftermath of the 1998 bombing of the United States Embassy, the hospital demonstrated its unwavering commitment by tending to a staggering two hundred casualties within the initial half-hour. As a level 5 hospital, it continues to serve the healthcare needs of Nairobi and its environs. Bolstered by this legacy, the hospital dutifully upholds its guiding motto, Lux in Tenebris – Light In Darkness. 

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