Four Kakamega MCAs have demanded the report on a US trip by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya’s wife Priscilla and Deputy Governor Philip Kutima to source for funds to equip the county general hospital.
Minority leader Titus Kwomah, Cleophas Malala (Mahiakalo), Kalvin Olengo (Namamali) and Edward Shivembe (Isukha West) said the two travelled last year to source for money to buy beds and mattresses. “It is unfortunate that the governor’s wife can storm the hospital and express shock at patients sleeping on cartons and on the floor when she was in the delegation that went to find money to buy the items [beds],” Kwomah said.
However, the governor’s wife was on a separate trip to the US and not part of the county delegation, the deputy governor said.
The MCAs addressed the press in Kakamega town yesterday. Sources told the Star the two bought the wrong beds and mattresses, which were rejected by the hospital.
Malala said the county government is wasting public resources. He said services improvement at the hospital should be given urgent attention. Malala said the Sh23 million spent by the county to buy water dispensers for health facilities in the county is enough to connect all facilities to piped water. The hospital has water dispensers said to have been bought for Sh600,000 each.
“You cannot put millions of shillings on water dispensers when there is no medicine in hospitals and patients are sleeping on cartons on the floor,” he said. Kwomah said the county assembly will not approve funds to pay rented office space by the executive.
“The more than Sh4 million we spend monthly on office space is adequate to build our own offices. This financial year we’re going to put money to renovate the office space inherited from the national government and not pay rent,” he said.
