Our Story & Purpose

When World War II broke out, many Kenyans were recruited into the King’s African Rifles (KAR). Over 98,000 Kenyans were deployed across various warzones, including the successful Abyssinian War, Madagascar, and Burma. The aftermath of the war saw many soldiers return with severe afflictions, with spinal cord injuries topping the list. This critical need for specialized rehabilitation services for these gallant soldiers laid the foundation for what would become the National Spinal Injury Referral Hospital.

The NSIRH is situated along Lenana Road in the serene Kilimani area on land and in bungalows that have existed since the 1940s. The site was donated in 1944 by Amani Cheshire for use as a rehabilitation centre for soldiers who had sustained spinal cord injuries in World War II. In honour of this generosity, the centre was named Amani Cheshire Home. It operated until 1963, when upon Kenya gaining independence, Amani Cheshire handed the institution over to the Government of Kenya. It was subsequently put under the management of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

The Ministry of Health allowed the center to run as a semi-autonomous hospital in the year 2000, though still under the guardianship of KNH. Looking to broaden its services and generate revenue, the hospital expanded by opening an outpatient unit in 2003, catering to the general healthcare needs of more Kenyans. This period of growth culminated in 2013 when the institution was officially gazetted as a National Referral Hospital.

Today, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) constitutes a significant disease percentage in Kenya, largely due to heightened road traffic accidents and cervical spine injuries. NSIRH remains the only public hospital in Kenya, East, and Central Africa with the capacity to offer specialized SCI healthcare services, operating with a capacity of 33 beds. Despite still being housed in its original bungalows on only 1.4 acres of land (as of May 2026), a new outpatient wing is under construction to greatly expand capacity.