In summary
–Shepherd Hospital was started in 2013 and has since expanded to 8 branches across the country. The first facility was based in Narok and is now a level 5 hospital.
-The hospital brand was founded by Dr. Daniel Kimei who brought in two other partners. They are currently working on building a national brand.
Building a reputable brand and being able to expand it across various regions is one which takes time, pain and resilience.
It is even more difficult for a hospital given the painstaking process of applying for various licenses, hiring qualified staff, conducting research on demographics and above all looking for capital.
However, three medics who are currently in their 30’s have managed to patiently carve a niche for themselves in the highly competitive medical industry in Kenya. This is the story of Dr. Daniel Kimei, Dr. George Kapiyo and Dr. Ken Soy who are the directors of Shepherds Hospital.
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Dr. Daniel Kimei
He is the brainchild behind Shepherd Hospital and the group’s Chief Executive Officer. According to the medic, they used savings, loans and supplier credit to set up the first facility based in Narok
For expansion, they have gradually done phased investments and pumped Ksh 40 million into the Narok facility for the first 40 beds wards. They then ploughed their profit back and the hospital is currently a 100 bed facility.
However, Dr. Kimei says they have met various challenges that proved detrimental to their expansion. This includes machine breakdowns and dropping of some partners whom he says didn’t share the same dreams as the rest.
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“We are always moving forward but you don’t move as fast as you want because when you invest things don’t always go as you planned. The biggest lesson I have learnt is to carefully pick who you work with,” he told Founders Connect Africa.
Dr. George Kapiyo
According to the medic, his passion to pursue medicine began at Alliance High School when he used to volunteer at the school’s sanatorium. He says he grew up with had an innate compassionate nature.
“I always had a heart to help people. From my childhood, I knew that is where my journey was going to look like. That dream now has come to pass,” he says.
Dr. Kapiyo revealed that during his internship practice, he realized how much there was a big demand for quality healthcare in Kenya. This is what prompted him to partner with Dr. Kimei.
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“Much of the need started showing up and became more obvious to me that the government does much it can to provide medical care but the needs are more than what they can provide,” Dr. Kapiyo said in a past interview.
Dr Ken Soy
Not much details are available about Dr. Ken Soy, the third entrepreneur behind Shepherd Hospital.
Shepherd Hospital Branches
The hospital is aiming at building a countrywide brand and their investments are currently over ksh 100 million. They have branches in Nairobi (Embakasi Pipeline and Parkland), Kakuma, Lodwar, Meru and Maua.
