MCAs threaten to kick out Nyong’o over health crisis

Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o is on the spot after the county assembly established an ad hoc committee to investigate the poor state of the health sector.

The ward representatives claimed that conditions in government healthcare facilities had worsened to the extent patients were forced to seek medical attention in private facilities or in public hospitals in neighbouring counties.

Kajulu MCA Roy Samo criticised Prof Nyong’o’s administration for failing to satisfactorily resolve the issues bedeviling the crucial sector, adding that he would present a motion next week to kick out the governor.

“The health sector is in jeopardy and the leadership should be held responsible. The House should impeach the governor because he is responsible,” said Mr Samo.

Awasi MCA Maurice Ngeta told the House that the sector was struggling and urgently needed assistance.

Mr Ngeta, however, distanced himself from the impeachment threat by absolving Nyong’o of any responsibility. “Our people are suffering and as an assembly there is need to help save the sector.”

His sentiments were shared by Majority Leader Kenneth Onyango who described the situation “as a matter of urgency that requires concerted efforts.”

But West Kisumu MCA Paul Okiri told the House that there was need to be honest with the governor about the deteriorating health sector.

“A government that cannot take care of the health of its people is a failed government. Nobody is telling the governor the truth about the situation and we must be honest with him. Health is a problem in Kisumu and, as an assembly, we are responsible for making things rights,” said Mr Okiri.

Since he came into office in 2017, Nyong’o has struggled to steady the fractious health sector, which has experienced back-to-back strikes that have paralysed service delivery in public facilities.

Not even a change of leadership in the department, which saw Health Executive Rosemary Obara replaced with Judith Atyang, has salvaged the situation.

County Director of Communications Aloice Ager accused the health workers of frustrating the efforts by the government to restore sanity in the sector.

“The government, through the leadership of Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, is committed to ensuring that Kisumu’s human resource is managed in accordance with the law,” said Mr Ager.

Crippled services

In the past one week, services have been partially crippled in some facilities after health workers disagreed with Nyong’o’s administration over the payment of their January salaries.

Operations in other facilities were also affected after staffers left their work stations following a decision by the county government to pay them through cheques.

There were long queues of frustrated health workers at the Jaramogi Teaching and Referral Hospital waiting to pick up their cheques.

During Wednesday’s debate, the ward reps claimed that the missteps by Nyong’o’s administration had had a negative impact on the implementation of universal healthcare coverage in the county.

Among the issues that the MCAs want the county government to address includes settling the case of 100 health workers who were employed in October last year, but have never been deployed.

The county government is reportedly losing up to Sh130 million in wages over its failure to deploy the workers even as it embarked on a controversial exercise to clean up its payroll.

The MCAs also want a probe launched into the purchase of three ambulances that allegedly cost Sh10 million each. The governor postponed the launch of the ambulances about two weeks ago following wrangles in the health department.

Nominated MCA Beatrice Pamela, who accused the health department of ‘misplaced priorities’, told the House that there was need for the Executive to provide records on how much the ambulances cost.

“The department can blame Kemsa (Kenya Medical Supply Agency) for not supplying drugs, but who are they blaming over the lack of food in hospitals?” posed Ms Pamela.