Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has promised to take legal action against Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration over the stalled 86-bed capacity wing at the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital.
The building that is now lying in neglect and surrounded with bushy fields was rated 88 percent complete back in September 2018 when Sonko was the Governor.
Despite subsequent budget allocations to complete and equip the maternity wing, zero progress has been witnessed seven years down the line.
Sonko has shared his frustrations and is now questioning why the county has not made any efforts to complete the and equip the building.
This after visiting the facility on Monday night to bail out new mothers who had been detained over uncleared bills.
Sonko was shocked to find out that up to six or seven mothers are sharing a bed yet the new wing could be a better option.
“I noticed that more than one woman was sharing a bed with Mama Lucy. What I don’t understand is that when I was governor, I built a 72-bed capacity wing; it was complete and only needed to be equipped,” Sonko said. “Why hasn’t Governor Sakaja equipped it? General Badi didn’t either. Please furnish it to ease congestion. I’m giving you a few weeks to do so, or we will mobilize people to buy beds ourselves. It’s wrong for women to suffer when the structure is already there.”To unlock the mystery over the stalled project, Sonko says he will sue the County Government and invite investigative agencies to probe possible misuse of funds meant to complete the project.
“ We will be seeking direction and help from the court under the bill of rights where Nairobi residents and specifically Eastlands people are being denied the right to quality health services,” he said in a video shared on his social media platforms.It has also been established that the Nairobi Metropolitan Services( NMS) did little to save the situation during its tenure between 2019 and 2022.
Sonko says the hospital was on the right trajectory when Governor Kidero left and during his short stint and no significant additional investment has been made.
Sonko also criticized the detention of patients over unpaid bills, urging the county to strengthen registration under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to ensure patients are covered and hospitals can be reimbursed.
“I noticed that more than one woman was sharing a bed at Mama Lucy. What I don’t understand is that when I was governor, I built a 72-bed capacity wing it was complete and only needed to be equipped,” Sonko said. “Why hasn’t Governor Sakaja equipped it? General Badi didn’t either. Please furnish it to ease congestion. I’m giving you a few weeks to do so, or we will mobilize people to buy beds ourselves. It’s wrong for women to suffer when the structure is already there.”Sonko also criticized the detention of patients over unpaid bills, urging the county to strengthen registration under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to ensure patients are covered and hospitals can be reimbursed.
We built a TB clinic, installed a Cancer Screening Machine,introduced the queue management sytem,a milk bank centre and equipped the hospital with modern equipment.
During my time, we had six cancer screening machines that helped detect cases early and saved lives. Where are they now? People used to get screened for free. Those services need to be restored,” Sonko said.
Meanwhile the former Governor has advised the county government to conduct serious civic education on SHA registration and improvise ways to ensure more residents are registered.
“It’s wrong to hold women in hospital because they can’t pay. Make SHA registration mandatory so hospitals can get refunds instead of detaining patients,” he said.
