•The Nairobi Metropolitan Services pledged to build 19 dispensaries and rehabilitate five others in the slums, all at a cost of Sh2 billion.
• Uhuru also commissioned the Muthua Community water supply project, which includes a borehole producing 15,000 litres per day.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday commissioned various development projects in Nairobi aimed at improving access to healthcare and water by city residents.
Uhuru commissioned two newly built health facilities by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
The facilities in Uthiru – Muthua Hospital and Kiamaiko are among the 24 hospitals being constructed by the team led by Major General Mohammed Badi.
While commissioning the health facility in Uthiru, the President said the aim was to make health services available for people without having to travel all the way to Kenyatta National Hospital.
On Thursday Badi and Nairobi Deputy Governor Anne Kananu inspected the Uthiru facility ahead of its opening by the President.
“The Public can now access health services without having to travel all the way to KNH and I’m proud of the good work Badi and his team have done in building these facilities in remote areas within Nairobi,” Uhuru said.
“This proves that development can be made accessible anywhere in Nairobi with very little money.”
With only, Sh2 billion Uhuru last year in August directed Badi and his team to construct 19 health facilities and rehabilitate five others in the informal settlements.
Nineteen were to be built from scratch, while the rest rehabilitated.
Ten out of the new facilities are Level 2 hospitals and the rest Level 3.
According to Badi, NMS’s healthcare vision for informal settlements is the provision of comprehensive quality services just like in other parts of the country.
“Most of the selected informal settlements don't have any health facilities, making it hard for the residents to get treatment. But the 24 health facilities will be a game-changer when they are completed,” he said.
The facilities will be at Viwandani, Majengo, Mathare, Kayole, Soweto, Korogocho, Kawangware, Gitare Marigu, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Kibera and Githurai 44.
The Uthiru – Muthua Hospital is a Level 3 also referred to as a health centre.
It is a small hospital run by at least one doctor, clinical officers and nurses.
Their (curative) services include an in-patient maternity ward, laboratory, dental, counselling and pharmacy and also treat Tuberculosis.
It has 16 in-patient bed capacity, maternity, theatre and a Digital X Ray Unit with a capacity to conduct 100 sessions a day.
In Kiamaiko the health centre is a Level 2 facility also referred to as a dispensary.
It has been built within the compound of the Ward administrator’s office.
Dispensaries are run by clinical officers. They offer outpatient services, including VCT, pharmacy, laboratory and well-baby clinics. They also treat tuberculosis.
NMS DG Badi had earlier this week said they will launch two hospitals every week for those that have been completed.
Other than Uthiru and Kiamaiko, Ushirika and Soweto-Kayole health facilities are also completed and waiting to be commissioned.
The NMS is also targeting to complete five more health facilities by early March.
NMS Health Services director Josephine Kibaru-Mbae said Amref had been contracted to build and equip all the 19 facilities while the other five were done by NMS.
“Currently, Kemsa is supplying Levels 2 and 3 facilities with drugs under the UHC agreement. More drugs will be procured as required once the facilities are done,” she said.
Dr Mbae also disclosed that NMS are in the process to elevate Mama Lucy Hospital to a Level 5 health facility.
Level 5 hospitals are referral hospitals with more than 100-bed capacity and run by chief executive officers who are doctors by profession.
The President also commissioned three community water supply projects.
The water projects targeting 26,000 people were drilled by the Athi Water together with the NMS.
The aim was to ensure that vulnerable communities in the informal settlements within the targeted areas get free access to the adequate and reliable water supply.
Uhuru also commissioned the Muthua Community water supply project, which includes a borehole producing 15,000 litres per day.
The borehole has three water kiosks serving a population of 14,000 people with free clean drinking water.
He also commissioned the Kabiria community water supply project which was rehabilitated last year.
It is connected to two water kiosks at Beth Mugo Primary and Kabiria's Chief's camp, serving 6,000 people.
The Huruma community water supply project serves 6,000 people with water kiosks at Huruma estate secondary and Huruma Primary.
Speaking in Kiamaiko, Uhuru said 15 boreholes have been drilled in the area and its environs.
"No more worry about water access as we have now drilled boreholes so no more buying water from vendors," he said.
The President commended NMS and Athi Water for setting up boreholes in areas where political leaders couldn't.
“People in our informal settlements used to pay almost Sh40 daily to buy two jerrycans of water. That is a huge amount. But look at what is happening now, with the boreholes they get water regularly and free,” Uhuru said.
In April last year, the government through the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation set aside Sh 1.7 billion to implement independent community projects aimed at increasing water supply to the vulnerable communities, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.
The project which was implemented by Athi Water Works Development Agency in partnership with NMS involved the drilling of 193 boreholes and construction 100 of elevated steel tanks in the capital.
The project targeted high population areas in Nairobi, Kiambu, Muranga, Machakos and Kajiado Counties.
The project saw 2.1 million residents across these counties access free water from the project which is set to supply 41.3 million litres of water per day.
Phase Two of the project which commenced in July 2020 aimed at producing 27.5 million litres per day of water per day serving 1.4 million residents.
As a result 93 independent community water supply projects within Nairobi.
In June last year At least 12,000 residents in Mathare have had access to water as the government completed a water supply project.
The project at the Mathare North Chief's Camp has been able to supply 220,000 litres.