When you see a tortoise perched atop a tree, know that someone settled it there. The tortoise will pee on those under the tree without care. Whoever placed it up there shares the blame for the mischief. Choices have such predicable consequences.
This has been the tragedy of Homa Bay county for about a decade. The mess could run on if the people continue to make flippant decisions on account of fleeting compromises. Once bitten, people would be foolish to repeat the same mistakes while expecting different results.
Three incidents expose mediocre medical services in Homa Bay. The current frantic plea for gas cylinders from Nyamira county underlies the urgency in the face of soaring Covid-19 cases.
The facility's multimillion-shilling oxygen plant failed soon after it was commissioned.
These incidents also illustrate the shambolic management of devolution. Health is devolved, yet its neglect is second only to poor management of water resources, another decentralised function.
In April, Dr Lillian Ochola, the chief executive officer of the Homa Bay County and Referral Hospital, was sacked. She was blamed for the neglect of the referral facility. She was a cover-up for the derelict hospital crying for demolition.
A month later, MCAs blamed the Health executive Richard Muga for the mess. The MCAs wanted him impeached and prosecuted. They also recommended reinstatement of the sacked hospital CEO. The MCAs wanted somebody higher up to take responsibility for the neglect.
The plot to sack Muga, a former director of medical services, has stalled. He's in court to stop his eviction. Muga, a medical doctor, is blaming others for his 'victimisation'.
The man is aspiring for Kabondo Kasipul parliamentary seat. He is shirking responsibility for the mess at the hospital. He wants Kasipul-Kabondo voters to reward him instead.
Last month, the MCAs wanted someone even higher up in the executive to take responsibility for the shambolic management of devolution. They sought to impeach Governor Cyprianus Achilaus Awiti, aka Akuba, on the sunset of his overdue exit. The rant about the governor, however, has stalled about a month after the ward reps raised the issue. Cynics claim the MCAS were leveraging their stakes for handouts. They have always shielded the county executive from accountability.
These are false starts, coming a decade too late. The MCAs have spectacularly failed in their oversight function. They are accomplices in the failures of the hospital CEO, the health executive and the governor.
The CEO was sacked during a month of relentless social media exposure of the rot at the county hospital. The rundown structure, built in 1957, speaks of sordid priorities of the county government. But the 'owners' of the county claim they don't have money to invest in public priorities. The lie comes when other counties, such as Nakuru, Kakamega, Makueni, Kisii, and Kirinyaga, among others, are doing far much better in healthcare.
The images of the stuffy, dirty, rusty, and dust-laced hospital are trending again. This time alongside pictures of the elegant Kirinyaga Teaching and Referral Hospital, which is near completion.
The images are trending under the caption: "A tale of two counties: Kirinyaga Teaching and Referral Hospital. The other one is Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital, after a decade of conscienceless leadership. Governor Ann Waiguru's government has invested in a multi-billion shilling health facility during the three years of her first term. Governor Awiti is on the sunset of his second term."
Kirinyaga receives about Sh4.2 billion from the Exchequer. Recurrent expenditure eats the bulk, leaving about Sh1 billion for development. Kirinyaga has allocated about Sh350 million per year to the new hospital over the last two years. The result is a phenomenal facility whose completion is expected later this year.
Counties such as Homa Bay receive about Sh6 billion per year. Recurrent expenditure, including recurrent corruption, swallows much of the disbursement to this accountability-free county.
