The white elephants dotting Turkana’s vast landscape

The stalled Napopogoit dispensary in Turkana County. It is among 27 stalled health projects in the County. [Bakari Ang'ela]

Every time Wilfred Lokeum feels unwell, he has to trek about 18km in the scorching Turkana heat in search of medical services.

He has no choice, as a dispensary whose construction started five years ago, close to his home, has never been completed.

Construction work at Nakamane dispensary in Loima sub-county started in 2015 and ought to have been completed by now. 

To date, the Sh9.8 million dispensary, located some 37km from Lodwar town, is an eyesore.

The contractor abandoned the construction site four years ago, dashing hopes of closer health services for hundreds of locals.

Similar stalled projects stand at Eliye in Turkana Central, some 52km from Lodwar and Nanam, more than 208km from the town.

“It has been difficult to access health services, especially when it floods during the rainy seasons. We had hoped to get a dispensary nearby,” says Lokeum.

It is even more difficult for expectant women and children, who, like Lokeum, have to walk for hours to reach the nearest health facility.

Asekon Nawoi says a woman recently delivered a baby on her way from Nakamane to Turkwel dispensary, about four kilometres away, after it became impossible to cross the flooded River Kosipir.

“It was by God’s grace that she delivered safely,” says Nawoi.

Residents say the county's Health department cannot explain why the construction of the dispensaries stalled.

The Standard learnt that Sh9.8 million was allocated the Namakane dispensary in the 2015/16 Financial Year. The same year, a total Sh160 million was allocated to projects in the Department of Health.

There is little on the ground to show for these millions of shillings.

Napopongoit dispensary in Turkana West Sub-county has also stalled.

“We are suffering, we hear our county government is receiving the highest allocation from the national government every financial year; where does this money go?” said Oso Koloi, a resident of Nakamane.

Eliud Emeri, the director of Tubae, a civil society network in Turkana County, says human rights activists have been writing to the Department of Health demanding an explanation on the stalled projects.

According to Emeri, at least 27 projects have stalled across the county. They include health and Early Childhood Development Education centres.

“We have been seeking answers on why these projects are unfinished yet money has been allocated for them. We have never received any response,” he says.

He said civil society groups were now contemplating obtaining court orders to compel the county to complete the projects.

As residents continue to suffer, a blame game has erupted between the county and contractors.

The Standard reached the Nakamane dispensary contractor, Geoffrey Lokoel of Nyati Construction Company, to know why he stopped working. He said he stopped construction work at Nakamane after the county failed to pay him.

Lokoel said the contract was to build a dispensary, health workers' houses, a latrine and a perimeter wall.

"I started erecting the structures using my money and it eventually stalled since I was not given any money by the county government. I was left with no choice but to pull out," he said.

 No payment

According to Lokoel, efforts to get money for the work he had done have so far not yielded fruit.

But the County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Health Jane Ajele insists construction work for some of the stalled dispensaries had been paid for by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.

Ajele would not however clarify the specific projects that had been paid for.

The health executive admitted that several health projects had stalled and blamed contractors for abandoning work even after being paid.

As the blame game continues, Lokeum wants Governor Josphat Nanok to intervene and have the health facilities completed.

"If he does not complete them, it will taint his legacy as he completes his second and final term in 2022," he says.