Machakos County's Health CEC Dr Daniel Yumbya. [Rose Mukonyo]

She says she has also encountered security threats where she would be chased away from certain homes. She says although this is risky, she goes ahead and invites her superiors who then talk to the families.

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"I remember one man told me not to step into his compound because I was asking his wife to go to the hospital, blocked us for the longest time until she delivered at home. We did not understand his motive but such cases are common and we have been taught how to deal with them," she says.

The situation isn't much different for Stanislaus Maingi and Diana Kavutha, working in the peri-urban area of Athi River. With the recent drought in the country, many families have been hit with hunger and poverty.

They wake up each day to the reality that they have other families to feed as most in the area have been struggling to put food on the table.

"Sometimes we are called upon at night, we leave our families to attend to a person in need of medical attention and sometimes we end up spending our own money to ensure they get to the hospital," says Maingi.

At times they are unable to get ambulances to ferry their patients to the hospital and they are forced to look for alternative means.

He is, however, happy that during their service, the number of home deliveries has greatly reduced since they can identify pregnant mothers in good time and encourage them to go to pre-natal clinics where they are educated on the need to deliver at the hospital.

 Stanslaus Maingi, a community health volunteer in Athi River, Machakos County. [Rose Mukonyo]

The volunteers say they have been working for almost 30 months without receiving their monthly stipends.

Machakos Health Executive Daniel Yumbya told The Saturday Standard that the community health volunteers would receive their delayed allowances after discussions with Governor Wavinya Ndeti.

"We will ensure they get their remunerations as laid down, to make sure we facilitate their travel and ease their burden of service," Dr Yumbya said.

He said they would link them up with the nearest dispensary where they can easily access an ambulance to ferry their sick patients to the hospital as well as ensure they get the necessary protective gear and equipment in times of need.

The story of the community health volunteers is not just in Machakos County alone but is being replicated across the other counties where they have to work for many months without their monthly stipend of Ksh2,500, now amounting to Ksh75,000 in arrears for the 30 months, have not been paid.

Community health volunteers are credited with contributing to the increase in Kenya's life expectancy from 51 years in 2000 to 66 years in 2018, according to a World Bank report.