Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital Paediatric Eye Centre
Nairobi / Kenya
Photos from Article 25 Feasibility and Concept Design Trips during site visits in 2025 and 2026.
Why we are working on this project
In Kenya, an estimated 7.5 million people are affected by vision loss, yet access to eye care - particularly for children - remains severely limited. Over 80% of blindness in Kenya is caused by curable and preventable diseases, and only 21.6% of Kenyans in need of eye health services are able to access them. Conditions such as congenital cataracts are often treatable when diagnosed early, but for many families, especially those in Nairobi's informal settlements, timely diagnosis and treatment are out of reach. Despite this need, Kenya currently has no public, dedicated paediatric eye care facility, and very few exist anywhere across Africa.
Article 25 has been working with CBM - an international disability and development organisation headquartered in Germany, with regional offices including CBM Kenya Country Office - to help change this. CBM identified Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, a government hospital in East Nairobi, as the site for a new specialist paediatric eye centre. The ambition is to establish the first government-run paediatric eye care centre in East Africa: a facility that is publicly accessible, child-focused and capable of serving patients referred from across Kenya and neighbouring countries.
Article 25 was first appointed to carry out a feasibility study in mid-2024. Following a site visit to Nairobi in September 2025 - during which the team met with stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, Nairobi County Government, CBM Kenya Country Office, hospital leadership, eye care professionals and community health workers - the study was completed and submitted. Article 25 was formally engaged in April 2026 to proceed to concept design.
The design
The concept design phase, which began in early 2026, focuses on developing options for a new dedicated paediatric eye facility at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital. Mama Lucy is a government hospital that currently provides general ophthalmology services but has no specialist paediatric eye unit. The paediatric cases are referred to either National Referral Hospital or Tertiary level facilities around Nairobi which are costly and out of the city. The new facility would introduce this capability for the first time, filling a critical gap in the public healthcare system.
The design process involves developing a detailed options strategy, ensuring that the scope, phasing and architectural approach are aligned with clinical needs and operational realities. The concept design programme will include spatial planning, phasing proposals and an assessment of how the new centre integrates with the existing hospital site.
In parallel, the feasibility study identified four additional hospitals across Nairobi County - each located near informal settlements - as sites for targeted infrastructure improvements. These upgrades, including accessibility enhancements such as ramps, visual contrast finishes and improved wayfinding, would enable these hospitals to function as community-level entry points, providing primary eye care and referrals to the new Mama Lucy facility. Together, they would form an integrated network of eye care services across the county.
The delivery
The project is being delivered in phases. The feasibility study, completed in September 2025, established the clinical need, site constraints and a framework for the wider network of facilities. The current concept design phase will produce a range of design and phasing options for the new paediatric eye centre, allowing CBM and Nairobi County to make informed decisions about the path to implementation.
The hospital itself is a government facility, and the project is structured to ensure that the resulting facility can be sustained and operated within the public health system for the long term.
The new centre, once realised, would not only serve Nairobi's population but would set a new benchmark for paediatric eye care across East Africa - combining specialist clinical services with inclusive, accessible design.
PROJECT PARTNERS: Christian Blind Mission; Nairobi City County Government; Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, DesignSpec
STATUS: Concept Design
