The Rotary Club of Nairobi Magharibi, in partnership with the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK), the Kenya Society for the Blind, and the Fistula Foundation, will conduct a week-long free medical outreach at Homa Bay County Referral Hospital from October 26 to November 1, 2025.
The “Homa Bay Mega Camp” will deploy a multidisciplinary team of 70 medical professionals, including senior surgeons, consultants, nurses, anaesthetists, and medical officers. They will be supported by 20 Rotary volunteers to provide vital surgical, eye, and fistula repair services at no cost to patients.
This initiative is the third in a series of successful surgical camps, following earlier efforts in Narok and Makueni, and aims to increase access to essential surgical care for the county’s low-income residents.
“Many families in Homa Bay cannot afford the cost of essential surgery,” said Camp Coordinator David Malago. “This camp will provide life-changing procedures free of charge and strengthen local capacity through our collaboration with county health teams and professional partners.”
The camp addresses critical health challenges in Homa Bay, where maternal mortality and obstetric complications remain high. Conditions like obstetric fistula persist due to limited access to emergency obstetric care. National studies suggest approximately 1% of reproductive-aged women in some surveys report fistula-like symptoms, highlighting the urgent need for targeted repair services.
Visual impairment is another significant public health issue. Many cases of vision loss are preventable or treatable through surgeries like cataract removal, which will be a key component of the camp’s services.
The camp’s key objectives include:
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Providing hundreds of free consultations and dozens of surgical procedures.
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Reducing the county’s backlog of treatable surgical and ophthalmic conditions.
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Strengthening local healthcare capacity through collaboration.
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Raising public awareness on prevention and early treatment.
With surgical need across Kenya remaining high, outreach efforts like this are crucial for closing the gap in access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care, particularly in underserved regions.
