Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana has hit out at his critics whom he accused of spreading propaganda against his administration.
Godhana, who is seeking reelection, on Sunday said his administration has done what the other 46 county governments have not done.
“That is why yesterday (Saturday), I was recognised and feted as the best governor in innovation and transformative leadership,” he said.
He spoke at Matopeni in Mombasa where he met women from the Pokomo community.
This came a day after he was named the best governor in Kenya in terms of innovation and transformative leadership at the County Gala Awards held at Whitesands Beach Hotel in Mombasa.
Godhana is facing opposition from former governor and Interior CAS Hussein Dado, former county speaker Dr Nuh Nassir and Ibrahim Sane.
Others eyeing the seat are former county trade executive Adam Barisa and Bura MP Ali Wario.
Dado is seen as Godhana’s major challenger.
Although dado was endorsed by the Orma Council of Elders known as Matadeda, Wario, who is a critic of the former CAS, also had himself endorsed by Matadeda’s chairman in a parallel meeting with that which endorsed Dado in early February.
Godhana also has to ward off competition from Barisa for the ODM ticket to defend his seat.
In Mombasa on Sunday, Godhana used the award he got to drum up support from his fellow Pokomo community, saying two of his county executives, one chief officer from his administration and one MCA from the county were also feted for being the best.
“Five people from Tana River were feted yesterday (Saturday). In the other five-year term, how many awards did the county get? Zero. It shows who is working and who is not working,” the governor said.
It was a direct onslaught on Dado, the previous governor, who now wants to get the seat back.
He said his administration has been invited by European countries to give a talk on their development blue print.
The county administration has been hailed for its cluster system of development where duplicate modern community villages were developed for those who are affected by floods.
“Tana River county is prone to floods. We used Geographic Information System to identify safe areas that are not affected by floods and the governor came up with the idea of developing the modern villages there,” county’s director of communication Steve Juma said.
These modern villages are fully equipped with social amenities including schools, hospitals, markets, among others, where those displaced by floods find permanent refuge.
This was done with help from international partners.
Godhana said he has greatly improved the health sector in the county to standards that are acceptable internationally, especially the United Nations Development Programme.
“But still there are people who go round saying the county government has not done anything. I don’t know where these people live. But the people of Tana see what the county has done,” the governor said.
He said the same propagandists go round blaming him for any death that occurs in any of the county hospitals.
His critics say the county has no single Intensive Care Unit, adding that those in critical condition lose their lives.
However, Godhana on Sunday said he has an arrangement with the national government where he establishes High Dependency Units in hospitals, the national government establish ICUs and oxygen plants.
“ICUs are not found everywhere. You cannot have an ICU before having a HDU. We put in the supplementary budget plans to establish several HDUs.
“Even as we speak, we have a patient here in Mombasa in the ICU,” Godhana said.
He said two more Level 3 hospitals are in the pipeline.
“These will be specially made for the clusters. They will have all facilities in them.”
He said patients all over the country are referred to other hospitals and Tana River is not an exception.
“So when a patient is referred to Mombasa or Nairobi and by bad luck they die on the way, they put the blame on me. Am I the angel of death? Do I take away people’s lives? I am not Angel Azraell,” Godhana said.
He said he is tired of being portrayed as the carrier of both diseases and people’s lives.
“Even I do not know when my time will come. I pray to God every day so that He adds me more lives. All important health services are available in Tana River,” the governor said.
He said soon, they will open a theatre in Garsen and in Bura for reproductive organ surgeries and general surgeries.
Edited by SKanyara
