Kisii County's healthcare system has received a boost after the historic Itierio Mission Hospital reopened its doors to the public after more than 10 years of inactivity.
The iconic facility has been lying in ruins. Several attempts by various investors to revive it had all failed to bear any fruit.
On Monday, however, its doors reopened bringing back nostalgic memories among locals and old members of the Lutheran Church.
Established in the early 1950s by missionaries, the hospital was known for offering the best reproductive services in the wide Gusii region.
Asians preferred to receive treatment from the hospital as did Africans who travelled from as far as Bomet and Narok.
Hospital Manager Kenty Isoe says the facility, now with a 50-bed capacity will be offering both inpatient and outpatient facilities.
"Our mother and child hospital will have the best services. We will work with Promotional Health Care Workers to reach all those who need health services."
The hospital becomes the first major health centre in the large Kisii South and will be serving patients from the neighbouring counties of Migori and Homabay.
When it was established in the 1950s, only two other health facilities served the locals in the wide Gusii region during the colonial period - Itierio Mission Hospital and Tabaka Mission Hospital under the Catholic Church.
Lutheran missionaries
Its rich history dates back to 1930s when Lutheran missionaries visited Gusii land to establish a church.
The representatives of the colonial government in the town of Kisii and the local people of Wanjare location welcomed the Swedish Lutheran Mission, and it received a plot of land at Itierio, some 10 kilometres from the current Kisii town.
Because of the Second World War, the Swedish missionaries returned to Kisii land in 1946 to actualise their mission.
This marked the birth of the Lutheran Church in Kisii and consequently the establishment of the mission hospital.
