Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya blames State for health crisis

Kwale County Governor Salim Mvurya has blamed the national government for the health workers strikes in various counties.

Mr Mvurya who is the vice chairman of the Council of Governors told a public rally at Mwereni that problems facing the health sector were being orchestrated by some people with vested interests in the national government.

He said some powerful individuals in national government want the health function taken away from county governments.

He claimed the Government wants to achieve this through contrived delays of disbursement of money to the counties.

He said eight counties are targeted in the alleged conspiracy. "What we are witnessing is just drama perpetuated by the national government so that they can have a case or ground to take back the sector to Nairobi," he added.

Mvurya said the happenings in the eight counties was not genuine adding that officials in the national government want to incite the public against the huge strides made since health was devolved.

"Kenyans voted for the sector to be devolved in 2010 and, therefore, we cannot take it back," he said.

improved health

He said the county health sector had improved a great deal thanks to devolution, especially, on the infrastructure and medicine.

The governor argued that most health facilities have been promoted to higher status with more staff.

"For now, services have come closer to the people. We have Msambweni Referral Hospital," he said.

He added: "So I am asking those politicians who are busy down grading the projects that Kwale has done to tell wananchi what they have done for them with that 85 per cent," said Mvurya.

He accused the national leaders at the county especially Members of Parliament of being insincere in their accusations.

"These leaders who are misleading locals on the projects that we are doing should desist forthwith. How can leaders say that our children should not be paid fees for?" he asked.

Mvurya gave out cheques worth Sh579,87 to university students and Sh152,872 worth of cheques to secondary schools.