Construction has begun for a state-of-the-art pediatric and neonatal critical care unit at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu, funded by the M-PESA Foundation's Sh98 million commitment and an additional Sh25 million from the hospital. This unit, set to open by October, will significantly expand critical care access for children and newborns across the Lake Region Economic Bloc and neighboring countries.

• The new facility will include an eight-bed Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and a nine-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
• Safaricom Foundation Chairman Joseph Ogutu highlighted this investment as part of their initiative to reduce preventable deaths among mothers and infants.
• Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o noted that the project addresses the scarcity of specialized pediatric and neonatal intensive care outside Nairobi, where most public pediatric ICU beds are concentrated.