Assembly passes motion to compensate Akichelesit children

The county assembly has passed a motion to compensate families of children who suffered paralysis after they were injected at Akichelesit Dispensary in Teso North.

Malaba South Member of County Assembly David Kokonya, who initiated the motion, said the the victims were living in misery since the incident occurred.

He said MCAs had shown they were sensitive to the well-being of the 28 children who were affected by the February 2015 mishap.

The affected children could neither stand nor walk, something that forced some to drop out of school.

“The children are still suffering up to now since they were from poor backgrounds. Their parents could not afford to take them outside the country for specialised treatment,” said Mr Kokonya.

He said pushing for their compensation was his priority after he won the August 8 election.

Children neglected

“After children went for some treatment in Nairobi, they came back and everyone went silent, leaving the victims to fight for themselves,” Kokonya added.     

When the story of the minors hit the headlines, the then Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia ordered that the children be taken to a Nairobi hospital for specialised treatment. However, they didn't get any treatment.

Bukhayo North/Walatsi MCA Gardy Jakaa, who is the chairman of the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee, was granted two months to come up with clear a roadmap on how the compensation would be effected.

He said he would meet various stakeholders from the health department in the county to discuss how much each family would be awarded.

Meanwhile, the family of an expectant woman who died with her twins at Sio Port Hospital in Funyula after her referral failed because the ambulance had no fuel will also be compensated.