LAND, A HURDLE IN HOSPITAL EXPANSION

Over 300,000 people depending on the Mariakani sub county hospital may need to wait for long before the institution is expanded to meet the increasing demand.
Lack of land has proved to be a hurdle in expansion of the hospital which according to officials in the ministry of health the land meant for exercise ended up in private hands.
The hospital located along the Nairobi Mombasa highway has witnessed its work load increased to over 10,000 patients a month.
The hospital which started as a dispensary in 1960 before elevated to a health center in 1976 due to increased population.
The hospital  became a sub county hospital after Kaloleni become a district in 2007 making it a major health facility the  current Kaloleni, Rabai sub counties from Kilifi County and neighboring Kinango Sub County from Kwale County.
According to Kilifi county health officer, Dr Anisa Omar, the hospital has been facing hard time in dealing with emergency cases particularly accidents victims.
“This hospital serves three sub counties, Kaloleni, Rabai and neighboring Kinango due its location the institution has been receiving about 200 accidents victims a month of which about 60 we are
forced to refer them to Coast general hospital.” She said.
According to her the hospital’s number in delivery has increased to 391 over the last month due to the commencing of free service.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand over an ambulance donated to the hospital by the Turkey embassy, Dr. Omar noted that the facility despite resembling like a dispensary was serving the purpose of a
level 4 hospital.
Sources noted that reluctance to acquire title deeds for government institutions among them health facilities and schools has led to massive grabbing of public land to private developers.

A hole at the sinking male ward building

The county government of Kilifi has set aside 80M to improve the hospital infrastructure and construction of mortuary facility that the management says has been waited for a long time.
According to Kaloleni district medical health officer, Dr. David Mang’ong’o the construction of the facility will reduce the cost to many locals who seek for services from the institution.
“There have been difficulties by the locals here who are forced to get the body of their diseased to coast general hospital a move that is not easy to many.” He revealed.
Despite the challenge facing the expansion, the hospital’s male ward might fall if efforts are not take at an early stage to stop the building which is in the verge of sinking with crack on its walls due
to what experts in building industry said was poor workmanship.

Relocation
However, the minister in charge of health in Kilifi county government, Dr.Swabah Ahmed revealed that they have set aside 10M to rehabilitate the sinking building.
“We have been working with experts from public works, ministry of lands officials and currently plans are at advanced stage to have structural engineering work on the male ward building for it to continue give the necessary service to the public.” She said.
According to the minister effort are underway to acquire land from Kenya agricultural research institute (KARI) in Mariakani to construct a bigger hospital to serve the increased population.
However Kilifi county senator, Stewart Madzayo, warned that no one was going to let go with a public land and revealed that the original they were going to use the original mapping of the hospital to get back the hospital land.

Governor Kingi confer with Kaloleni MOH, Dr David Mang'ong'o

He said the locals seeking service to the hospital were more important than an individual holding the land meant for public institution and added that hospital land cannot be private.
“As leaders we are accountable to the entire problems our people are facing and the county government will not rest until all the land problems come to a rest in this county. We do not care who has which
connections in the corridors of power but all those who acquired land illegally the constitution is clear.” Warned Madzayo
Also present during the handing over of the ambulance donated to Turkish embassy, was Governor Amason Kingi, echoed sentiment by leaders present of getting all public land out of private hands.
He revealed that they were working with the central government to secure all the public land and have schools, hospitals and other public institutions have title deeds to prevent grabbers.
The governor pointed fingers to local for sidelining with outsiders to sell of public land to private developers.
“We have been accusing upcountry people grabbing our land but the truth of land is that our own people are responsible. In the case of Mariakani those who allowed this to happen are the people who were in
charge of Mariakani county council.” said Kingi
The governor urged those holding public land acquired illegally to surrender failure they were going to face the full force of the law as they give a guideline to revoke all the titles obtained unlawfully.
Kingi revealed that the county government will in the next financial year set aside, 210M to facilitate land survey and adjudication aimed to solve the land problem and promised to deal with squatters’ problem in the county for the next two years.
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Antonyzedy communications: EMPOWER DISABLED SAYS TRANSPARENCY

Antonyzedy communications: EMPOWER DISABLED SAYS TRANSPARENCY: Transparency international has raised concern over the need to empower the disable members of the community to champion for their right...

EMPOWER DISABLED SAYS TRANSPARENCY

Transparency international has raised concern over the need to empower the disable members of the community to champion for their rights. dis

Led by Francis Kairu, despite efforts to address the plight of disabled members of the community as most of the funds channeled towards helping them end in the wrong hands.

Speaking at the sideline of an awareness workshop to empower people with disability in Likoni, he called on the need to have proper mechanisms to curb corruption in funds distribution.

“About 50% of funds meant to empower disabled members of the community due to corruption with no legal mechanism in curbing those involved in malpractices in Kenya.” Said Kairu

Francis Kairu- Transparency Mombasa

According to him, the allocation of 300m for people with disability in the Kenyan 2013/2014 budget was not enough and called on the need to more funds to empower the disabled in Kenya.

However he took issues with the how the county government for what he said they sidelined the disabled in their budgets as most counties honored only the constitutional directive to include people with disability in their leadership slots but no or little funds was set for them to empower them economically.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Kombo Malama, who insisted there was much to be done to for disabled members of the community to enjoy their rights as granted in the Kenyan constitution.

“From this workshop I now informed that we need to stand to question anywhere we see our right being violated. The idea of us raising some amount to get registered with the national council of people with disability has been a hurdle to some of us; the government should give this service free.” He said.

According to Malama, many children with disability are still held up in their homes and unable to get any government assistance as their parents and guardian cannot afford to raise the registration fee.

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ENACT BY LAWS TO STREAM LINE EDUCATION AT COUNTY LEVEL; LEADERS SAY

Leaders in Kwale County are calling on the county government to enact by laws to deal with early pregnancies school dropout which has been threatening child education in the area.

Led by Kinango mp, Gonzi Rai, they noted despite effort to improve education standards in the area, some have taken advantage of poor family background in the area to force girls into ways that end up ruining their education.

Speaking in Samburu at the sideline of a baraza for citizen to give out their proposal on project, he revealed that Kinango had set about 85million of its Constituency Development Fund to address education challenges in the area.

“I have been in consultation with our county government to see how best we can curb this menace through formulation of laws that will deal firmly with those found guilty at our local level.” Revealed the Mp.

Rai admitted some parents were still reluctant in monitoring their children progress in school a move that he said has been playing a key role in poor performance.

The legislature urged youth who have qualified to join medical collages and might have some challenges to lias with their leaders at all levels to secure the necessary support to have them enroll in higher education institution.

Samburu residents during a baraza at Ndohivyo primary

“ I believe with the devolved system we will need more nurses and other professionals and its high time we facilitate our children to join higher learning institutions. We lack enough nurses in Kinango only out of the 20 vacancies advertised last year we could only fill three from within.” Revealed Rai.

Speaking separately Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Kwale branch called on the need to have more funds channeled to counties to have infrastructure problem in school addressed by county governments.

The county secretary general, John Mackenzi Tuki, insisted only the governor will be in a position to physically know the status of school infrastructures at their locality.

“Unlike what is happening where county governments are left to deal with pre-school education and youth polytechnics, there is need to increase the funding to 45% of the national budget to counties to have it address other problems in both primary and secondary schools.” He said.

However, Tuki, took issues with the rampant campaign to save the girl child saying that the boy child now is suffering as all attention is geared towards the female.

According to the kwale kuppet boss, there is need to address the issues affecting education equally regardless of genders as boys are facing stiff competition from girls.

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