A Senate team has unearthed serious challenges facing Machakos County’s health department, including unpaid medical staff, lack of water in hospitals, and neglected health facilities, raising concerns about the county’s management of essential services.
During a fact-finding mission to Athi River Level 4 and Mwala Level 4 hospitals, members of the Senate Health Committee were met with emotional pleas from health workers who revealed they had not received salaries for nearly six months.
Some broke down in tears as they narrated their struggles to survive while still serving patients.
“How can you have your health workers not paid for six months, yet they are still working?” asked Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda, calling the situation unacceptable and urging immediate action from county leaders.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said the delay in paying staff was jeopardizing service delivery. “We must tell the governor to fix this. We cannot have good facilities run without salaries,” he stated.
Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli insisted that accountability must be enforced, saying, “We must call the county government to order.”
At the Athi River hospital, the senators were shocked to find that the facility had gone without water, a situation that has exposed patients to health risks.
Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu said the committee was dissatisfied with the state of affairs, adding, “At the Athi River Hospital, we are also not happy as a committee. The water issue must be fixed so that we don’t expose patients to other diseases.”
Nominated Senator Mariam Omar said the problem extended beyond salaries and water shortages, pointing out that the county administration had focused too much on referral hospitals while neglecting lower-level facilities.
“So far we have seen many challenges, but efforts are only on referral hospitals, and county hospitals have been neglected,” said Omar.
The committee said it would compile a report to be presented to Governor Wavinya Ndeti, urging her administration to address the crisis before it worsens.
