Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata says the county will henceforth purchase medicine exclusively from Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
Speaking during his maiden formal tour of the county government offices in Murang’a town Monday, Kang’ata specified that the county would henceforth purchase medicine from KEMSA.
“Purchasing medicine from KEMSA will cut out the middle men involved when purchasing from the private sector by eliminating kickbacks,” Kang’ata said.
“This will reduce county funds spent on buying drugs and ensure the drugs are available at all public health facilities,” he added,
Kang’ata noted that the county owed KEMSA more than Sh35 million and their accounts had been frozen.
He however asserted that talks were underway to unfreeze the accounts and resume purchase of drugs from the government owned institution rather than the private sector.
The new governor, also vowed to prioritise the county bursary programme named nyota zetu so as to ensure the learning of the beneficiaries was not interrupted.
“I am going to focus on the bursary programme so as to ensure those students stay in school,” he said, noting that he had received reports saying the cheques previously issued to the students had bounced.
Another concern the new governor deemed a crisis was the issue of uncollected garbage especially in Murang’a town and other market centers.
Kang’ata also said he was urgently going to address the issue of unpaid salaries to members of staff. “The fact that the county employees have not been paid for months means that I am dealing with a demoralised workforce and that needs to be addressed immediately,” he said.
The governor further stated that he would focus on the concerns of farmers to ensure they benefited from their milk and other farm produce as he promised during his campaigns.
The governor stated that he would first develop a work plan to effectively deliver services to the people of Murang’a and he would engage all the stakeholders so that they would work together in service delivery.
Governor Kang’ata was sworn in as the second governor of Murang’a County on August 25, 2022 by Lady Justice Margret Mungai at Ihura stadium in Murang’a town.
By Purity Mugo
