First Lady Rachel Ruto today presided over the handover of cochlear implant devices worth KSh 120 million, a transformative donation set to restore hearing — and hope — to dozens of Kenyan children living with hearing impairments.
The devices, presented to the Ministry of Health under the First Lady’s Voice of the Children Programme, were donated by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asma ahead of the Princess’s official visit to Kenya next week.
“This gift is far greater than its monetary value,” Mrs. Ruto said during the ceremony at State House Nairobi. “It is a gift of sound, connection, and renewed possibility. For the children and families who will benefit, it means hearing laughter, music, and the voices of loved ones — some for the very first time.”
The First Lady called on the Ministry of Health to ensure that the implants reach the most deserving children across the country. She underscored the importance of comprehensive care, noting that successful cochlear implantation requires not only skilled surgery but also structured post-operative therapy to help recipients adapt to their new sense of hearing.
“The Ministry’s support in coordinating both the surgical procedures and the essential post-surgery therapy will enable beneficiaries to fully embrace a new phase of life — one defined by sound, connection, and opportunity,” she said.
A specialized team from Kenyatta National Hospital, led by Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard Lesiyampe, will conduct the surgeries. Additionally, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital will support the initiative, with a total of 64 children set to undergo procedures — 54 at Kenyatta National Hospital and 10 at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
“Let us remember that every restored sense, every healed life, is a step toward a more compassionate world,” Mrs. Ruto added. “May this act of generosity inspire us all to use our resources, partnerships, and influence to make a difference, however small, in the lives of others.”
Also in attendance were Dr. Abraham Korir Sing’oei, Principal Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services in the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Oluga announced that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will fully cover the cost of the procedures, which are included in its benefits package at a reimbursement rate of KSh 358,000 per patient. He noted that cochlear implant surgery had previously been listed among 36 specialized services unavailable locally.
“Your Excellency, what you have done today is remove it from that list,” Dr. Oluga said. “You have challenged us to go back and review the gazette notice.”
PS Sing’oei described the donation as a reflection of the deepening ties between Kenya and the Kingdom of Morocco, crediting it to the First Lady’s longstanding relationship with the Moroccan royal family.
“It is through the efforts you and His Excellency the President have made to elevate the status of our relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco,” he said, “and through your friendship, forged over several years, that Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asma is visiting Kenya next week at your invitation.”
Dr. Lesiyampe expressed gratitude on behalf of the medical teams and the families set to benefit. “We are very grateful and we do not take this for granted,” he said.
As the ceremony concluded, the atmosphere was marked by gratitude and quiet optimism — for families anticipating a future where silence will no longer define their children’s world, and for a nation reminded that compassion, strengthened by partnership, has the power to heal in ways statistics alone cannot measure.
