The Ndhiwa Member of Parliament, Martin Owino has urged Homa Bay County Government to prudently utilise economic stimulus funds to improve health institutions and strengthen the fight against covid-19 in the county.
Owino noted that the county received Sh.98million from the total Sh.5billion which President Uhuru Kenyatta had announced his government would disburse to counties.
He said the national government is also expected to release another Sh.4.6 billion to all 47 counties from the Ministry of Devolution.
Earlier, the Homa Bay County Governor, Cyprian Awiti said his administration would spend about Sh.66million to pay health workers allowances as they help residents fight covid-19.
The Ndhiwa legislator however, appealed to Awiti to consider spending the funds in improving the condition of the county health facilities instead of recurrent expenditure.
He argued that spending such money on recurrent expenditure contributed to poor state of health facilities in the county.
“Let’s not have a tendency of spending monies in paying salaries and allowances alone. The presence of covid-19 pandemic is a wakeup call to us that we should invest in health systems,” Owino said.
The MP argued that Homa Bay is among the counties whose health facilities should be improved to put it in a better position to fight coronavirus.
Speaking at Kobodo market on Tuesday when he distributed food and non-food items to more than 1,700 disabled persons and other vulnerable families in his constituency, Owino said the state of many health facilities in the county was deplorable.
He distributed maize, rice, beans, bread, milk and soap to the vulnerable constituents.
Owino who is a member of the parliamentary health committee said the counties should spend a bigger portion of their money on development to improve health. “Let’s improve health facilities and improve roads to make health facilities accessible,” he said.
The MP said poor road networks also make many health facilities inaccessible.
By Davis Langat
