• At Misufini dispensary, a twin-unit staff house whose construction started in 2008 remains unfinished to date.
• Residents who fall sick during the night or any emergency have to walk over 10km to Ganze Health Centre, Ngerenya Dispensary, or the Kilifi County Referral hospital for medication.
Image: ELIAS YAA
The residents of Ganze in Kilifi county continued to miss crucial health services in two dispensaries due to a lack of staff houses.
At Misufini dispensary, a twin-unit staff house whose construction started in 2008 remains unfinished to date.
Residents who fall sick during the night or any emergency have to walk over 10km to Ganze health centre, Ngerenya Dispensary, or the Kilifi County Referral hospital to access healthcare.
George Chai, a resident said the facility was meant to reduce the long distance residents walk to get medical services.
“We lost expectant mothers due to lack of health facilities. Residents who suffered snake bites could not get any medical attention here and most of them lost their lives on the way to Ganze or Kilifi hospital due to lack of means of transport,” he said.
Ganze MCA Benson Chengo said he allocated Sh1 million In the 2018/2019 financial year for the completion of the project.
“After allocating the money, the department of roads and public works said it was not enough according to the bill of quantity. This stalled the works. The bill of quantity was to cost Sh1.5 million,” he said.
In the 2019/2020 financial year, the MCA says he added Sh500,000 to ensure the project is completed.
“After adding the Sh500,000, the department of roads and public works claimed they cannot trace the bill of quantity. I had a copy but they still insisted they cannot use my copy,” said Chengo, adding that the department later prepared a new bill of quantity which had been inflated to Sh6 million.
“The money at hand is Sh1.5 million but the current BQ is for Sh6 million. I am afraid that the project will remain stalled given that the time ahead of us is not enough to start looking for the extra Sh4.5 million for its completion,” said Chengo.
He accused the department of roads of sabotaging his efforts.
“The department of public works are sabotaging this project. It is not the work of an MCA to go around offices to follow up on BQs, the relevant officers must do their part once money has been budget for a project,” he said.
But in a rejoinder, the departments of Roads and public works chief officer Kenneth Kazungu accused the MCA of playing politics with the projects.
“My office churns out hundreds of BQs every week, for all departments. it’s upon them to follow up with the director of public works to know the exact status of their requests for BQs. But the MCA has decided to politicise the issue instead of doing the follow-up,” said Kazungu
Migodomani Community dispensary in Dungicha location is yet to be opened despite the facility being completed in 2013.
It was built through the support of an Italian organisation—the Popoliamaici people’s friends.
The facility is complete with a working solar lighting system and a borehole.
Equipment at the facility is however gathering dust as they still wait for a staff houses to be constructed.
The contractor delivered building materials and abandoned the site without informing the community.
Former Dungicha Councilor Anderson Kalisho said doctors have refused to be stationed at the facility over lack of staff housing.
He said the area is surrounded by the Rare and Kafuloni rivers making it inaccessible when it rains.
“Before we were gifted the facility, we used to go for over 10km to seek health services at Ganze health centre or Vitengeni health centre which is still very far and of the same distance,” he said.
According to the area MCA Benson Chengo, he allocated Sh7.9 million in the 2018/2019 financial year for the construction of a twin-unit staff house.
“I tabled a motion asking the department of health to state what happened with the contractor that he is abandoned the project but I have not received the response,” said the MCA.
The residents appealed to the County government to also set up a maternity wing at the facilities.
Kilifi Health Executive Charles Dadu said the staff house at Misufini was constructed by the Ganze CDF and the contract is still with them.
“There is an ongoing process at the Senate on such projects. The national government has the contract so they either transfer the contract to us or they cancel the contract so that we can initiate our own,” he said
He further said the contractor who won the tender for the Migodomani dispensary abandoned the work after delivering some materials on site.
“The contract is still active but because it has come to my attention I will cancel it and re-advertise.
-Edited by SKanyara