Governors have rejected reports that 136 newborn babies have died at Kiambu’s Level 4 hospital, terming the claims as misleading and aimed at tarnishing devolution successes.
The county bosses claimed that the stories appearing in the media and reports by a doctors’ union were malicious and not accurate.
“The Council of Governors (CoG) has noted with great concern the publications by the KMPDU on Health issues in Kiambu county. The Council dissociates from the headline about the death of 136 babies and categorically states that it is not factual but pure witch-hunt,’ CoG chairman Ahamed Abdullahi said.
“The health function in Kiambu is functional, and we have doctors in all facilities and are on duty. We urge the Ministry of Health and KMPDU to stop politicising health and leave the level of the government with the mandate to run it. It can not be run from Afya House,” he added.
The governors linked the reports to unnamed forces who they claimed are hellbent on undermining devolution and the progress achieved so far.
“We want to reiterate that health is a devolved function and must be free of external forces that want to paint a bad picture of devolution and efforts made thus far,” Abdullahi said on Monday.
At the same time, the Governors said procurement services are going on smoothly in all counties following a court order that suspended the National Treasury’s directive on electronic procurement.
The Council says the e-governement procurement (e-GP) was not working anywhere, and they could not risk applying it.
“As you are aware, we moved to court and the court ruled that counties are at liberty to use either electronic or manual procurement. We have complied with that court order and services are going on smoothly in counties,” Abdullahi said.
The CoG boss was speaking at their offices in Delta Centre, Westlands, Nairobi, during a meeting to unveil the Council’s executive committee.
Abdullahi, who is the Wajir Governor, said they had rejected the new system not because they are opposed to it, but because it has not been tried and found to work.
“We are asking if someone can show us where the system is working from end to end. Not a single place or even any ministry. Show is where you have procured a pen using the e-GP?” he posed.
Abdullahi retained his seat after the county bosses, through consensus, picked him for a second year, as well as Nyeri Mutahi Kahiga remaining Vice Chair, even as Tharaka Nithi’s Muthomi Njuki joined the executive as Whip.
Muthomi replaced Nandi’s Stephen Sang, who now becomes the chairman of Resource Mobilisation after serving for a record three years as Whip.
Kisii’s Simba Arati, who was chairing the Resource Mobilisation docket, will now chair the Security and Foreign Relations Committee.
“We, the executive, having been duly elected to serve, hereby commit to the following priorities in strengthening the mandate of the council and protecting the spirit of devolution,” Abdullahi said.
They include operationalization of the Devolution Training Institute, implementation of the Strategic Plan 2022-2027, complete transfer and costing of devolved functions and increase membership to Ugatuzi Sacco.
