'The dead' appear in board meetings

Embu Governor Martin Wambora. [Standard]

A number of people who died years ago are still recorded as members of current health facility management boards.

This emerged during a plenary sitting at the County Assembly to discuss a Motion tabled by Evurore Ward Representative Duncan Mbuim, seeking to compel the County Government to disband all health facility management boards.

Records show that the dead members are indicated as having attended board meetings in at least two health facilities. In one of these, a dead chairman even had his term "renewed."

At Kathanje Health Centre in Mumunji Ward, available records indicate that the management board is still chaired by a man who died years ago. His tenure was 'renewed' in December last year.

Area ward rep, Newton Kariuki, who made the shocking revelation said the dead man is indicated as having chaired all the board meetings.

In Kyeni North ward, a man who died years ago is still gazetted as a board member.

In other equally baffling cases, some health facilities had board members appointed long before they were opened. Some have boards that meet regularly although not a single patient has been served at the facility.

At Gikiiro dispensary in Mavuria ward, the board was appointed long before the facility was opened. Mavuria Ward Rep Ngari Mbaka told the Assembly the dispensary was opened in February 2019, but the facility’s board was appointed and gazetted on December 14, 2018.

In Kiambere Ward, Ntharawe dispensary has a management board that, according minutes, holds regular meetings. Curiously the dispensary is not operational.

Kiambere Ward Rep Lenny Masters told the Assembly the county also posted medical staff and supplied medicine to Mutuobare Health Centre, yet the facility is incomplete and has never served a single patient.

He said the Government records indicated that the health centre was opened in 2016 and that it had a list of nurses and doctors who earned salaries for working there. “Something very fishy is happening in health facility management boards across the county. We want an immediate redress,” said the Minority Party Leader.

The county Health executive Joan Mwende, however, downplayed the issue. While admitting that some board members listed for some facilities may have died, Dr Mwende said her department was in the process of replacing them. 

The ward reps passed the Motion, and demanded that the County Government degazettes and annuls all health facility management boards.