Kenya has at least 6, 000 private healthcare facilities, according to a 2023 census conducted by the Kenya Health Facility.
Many of them are located in major towns such as Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, and Kisumu.
In this article, WoK has compiled a list of prominent private hospitals in Kenya and their owners:
The Nairobi Hospital
The Nairobi Hospital is owned and operated by the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA).
KHA does not have shareholders. Instead, it is comprised of about 3, 000 members, institutions, and individual people who collectively own Nairobi Hospital.
Nairobi Hospital was founded in 1954 during the colonial period as the Nairobi European Hospital. In 1961, the facility was opened to people of all races.
The facility is headquartered in Upper Hill, Nairobi, and currently operates about 7 branches around Nairobi and its suburbs.
It offers tier 1 medical services such as open-heart surgery, neurosurgery, and kidney transplants.
Aga Khan University Hospital
The Aga Khan University Hospital is one of the largest private hospitals in East Africa. It is owned by the Aga Khan University (AKU), under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
Aga Khan Hospital is part of a network of international hospitals and institutions that were founded by His Highness Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims who passed away in 2025.
The teaching and referral hospital is a private, not-for-profit facility, which means that its profits are reinvested into research, education, and developing new healthcare facilities.
Headquartered in Nairobi, Aga Khan Hospital has over 54 branches spread across Kenya and Uganda.
M.P. Shah Hospital
Founded in 1926, M.P. Shah is one of Kenya’s oldest private hospitals.
The facility is owned and run by an organization known as the Visa Oshwal Community Trust, which was established by Kenya’s Oshwal community.
The hospital is named after Meghji Pethraj Shah (M.P. Shah), a prominent Kenyan-Asian businessman and philanthropist who owned several businesses and investments across East Africa.
Like Aga Khan, M.P. Shah operates on a not-for-profit model, meaning that its proceeds are used for research, education, and development of community programs.
The hospital has 4 branches located in places such as Parklands, Gigiri, and Ronald Ngala Street.
The Karen Hospital
The Karen Hospital is a private facility that was founded in 2006 by renowned Kenyan cardiologists Dr. Daniel Gikonyo and Dr. Betty Muthoni Gikonyo.
Dr Gikonyo serves as the hospital’s chief cardiologist, while his wife, Dr Muthoni, serves as chairperson of the hospital’s board. Their daughter, Dr. Juliet Gikonyo Nyaga, serves as the Chief Executive Officer.
Karen Hospital is classified by Kenya’s Ministry of Health as a Level 6 Hospital, the highest level of referral healthcare facility.
It has at least 10 branches countrywide, including in places like Thika, Nakuru, Nyeri, Meru, and Karatina.
Mediheal Group of Hospitals
The Mediheal Group of Hospitals was founded by Dr. Swarup Ranjan Mishra, an Indian-born Kenyan gynecologist and businessman.
He has previously served as Member of Parliament for Kesses Constituency, Uasin Gishu County between 2017 and 2022.
Dr Swarup and his wife, Dr Mishra, founded Mediheal when they relocated to Kenya in 1997.
Headquartered in Eldoret, the facility operates various hospitals across the country and has particularly specialized in fertility treatment, kidney care, neurosurgery, critical care, and advanced diagnostics.
Mediheal has at least 10 branches spread across various towns in East Africa, including Nakuru, Nairobi, and Kigali.
Bliss Healthcare (Bliss Hospitals)
Bliss Healthcare Limited was founded in 2012 by Jayesh Umesh Saini, a Kenyan-Asian businessman. His father, Dr. Umesh Saini, is credited as the founder of Nairobi West Hospital, a feat he achieved in the 1980s.
Aside from Bliss Hospitals, Jashesh is also the founder of other private hospitals such as Medicross and Lifecare Hospitals. He is also a key player in East Africa’s pharmaceutical industry.
Unlike larger hospitals like Aga Khan and M.P Shah, Bliss has specialized in providing outpatient services such as eye care, dental services, doctor consultations, and ambulance services.
Bliss has at least 37 branches countrywide, spread across Nairobi, Central Kenya, Nyanza, Coast, Western, Rift Valley, and Eastern provinces.