President William Ruto has opened an expanded General Service Unit hospital in Embakasi, Nairobi, as the government rolls out wider healthcare and housing programmes targeting police officers, their families and communities around security facilities.
The hospital, located at the GSU Training School, has been accredited under the Social Health Authority and will provide services to officers, their dependants and residents of the wider Embakasi area. Ruto officially opened the facility on Friday before presiding over the passing-out parade of newly trained GSU recruits at the college.
The new facility forms part of efforts to improve the welfare of security officers, with the government also expanding access to medical care and increasing investment in institutional housing for personnel deployed across the country.
Ruto said more than 138,000 police and prison officers, together with their eligible dependants, had been enrolled under Salama Cover through the Social Health Authority.
“We are doing the same with healthcare through Salama Cover under the Social Health Authority. More than 138,000 police and prison officers and their eligible dependents have been brought under a dedicated medical scheme. Compared with previous private insurance arrangements, the provider network has expanded from 973 facilities to more than 8,000 facilities across all 47 counties, giving officers and their families greater choice and access to care wherever they live, work, or are deployed.”
The newly opened GSU Hospital at GSU Embakasi ‘B’ Campus, Nairobi. PHOTO/MINA
The President said the medical cover provides outpatient and inpatient care, surgery, maternity services and treatment for chronic and pre-existing conditions. It also caters for specialist dental, optical and diagnostic services.
According to Ruto, eligible services can be accessed across the country, with digital approvals taking less than 15 minutes.
The government is also expanding mental health and psychological support for security officers, with the President pointing to the trauma and injuries that can arise from police work.
Alongside healthcare, Ruto said the government was making progress in addressing the shortage of decent housing for police officers.
In 2024, the President said 582 police housing units had been completed, while another 1,000 units were at various stages of construction under an initial target of 17,000 units.
The housing plan has since grown, with 137 projects comprising 28,000 units now in the pipeline specifically for police officers.
Ruto said 870 units had already been completed and handed over, while about 12,000 were under construction. More than 1,500 units were at the procurement stage, with another 15,000 planned under the programme.
The projects include housing developments at the GSU headquarters in Ruaraka, the Presidential Escort Unit camp in Ruiru and the GSU Training School in Embakasi.
“We are also confronting the long-standing shortage of decent accommodation for our police officers through the institutional housing component of our affordable housing program, financed through the housing fund. We are turning a problem that persisted for decades into a program of delivery; today we have a pipeline of 137 housing projects, comprising 28,000 units for our police officers.”
The housing projects form part of broader police modernisation efforts that seek to improve the living conditions of officers while also supporting better equipment, training and digitisation within the National Police Service.
Ruto said the housing programme would give officers secure places to return to after duty and provide better conditions for them to raise their families.
He also announced that the government was implementing a Sh30 billion police modernisation programme, with Sh21 billion already made available.
The investment covers protective equipment, mobility, secure communications, surveillance, command and control systems and specialised training.
“That is why the welfare and modernisation of our security services remain a priority for me and for the government of Kenya.”
The President further pledged government support for officers injured while on duty and for families of personnel killed in the line of service.
He told the graduating GSU officers that improved housing, healthcare and institutional support were important as they prepared to work in high-risk environments.
The measures are part of the government's wider efforts to strengthen the National Police Service while improving the working and living conditions of its personnel and expanding access to essential services for their families and communities around security facilities.