About Us

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has been in existence for more than a century, having been established in the early 1900s to cater for the health needs of workers at the then port town of Kisumu. Since then it has grown to become the referral hospital serving County, Sub-county, and private hospitals in more than 10 Counties in the Western Kenya region with a population of more than 10 million people.

The inception of JOOTRH was highly influenced by the high presence of malaria and other diseases in then Port Florence, which necessitated the creation of a facility to cater for the black population. Due to racial segregation, reminiscent of the colonial era, Victoria Hospital was established in 1932 to cater for the white population.

The hospital, having been commissioned in 1969, has seen a lot of development by the Kenyan government, and now the county government providing more funds to improve the in-patient capacity and out-patient facilities to its present state. The Victoria Hospital was initially left to the Catholic Church by the colonial government, but later reverted to the government and is currently the amenity wing of JOOTRH.

Our Mandate

• Provide Level 5 services to all Counties of Nyanza and parts of Western Province.
• Provide support and training for the production of undergraduate and graduate Health Professionals for the Country.
• Contribute to knowledge, best practice, and Policy through research.