Senators Decry Crisis in Machakos Health Sector as Unpaid Staff and Water Shortages Emerge By Bruno Mugala Atonya
The Senate Committee on Health has sounded the alarm over what it termed as “glaring management lapses” in Machakos County’s health sector, following a fact-finding mission that exposed delayed salaries, poor infrastructure, and neglect of health facilities.
During an inspection tour of Athi River Level 4 and Mwala Level 4 hospitals, the committee discovered that some healthcare workers had not received their salaries for up to six months. The revelation brought emotions to the surface as several affected staff members reportedly broke down in tears, appealing to the senators for urgent intervention.
“How can you have your health workers not paid for six months, yet they are still working?”
— Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka cautioned that the delayed payments could cripple service delivery in the county’s health facilities.
“We must tell the governor to fix this. We cannot have good facilities run without salaries,” said Onyonka.
The senators further uncovered that Athi River Level 4 Hospital is currently struggling with a severe water shortage, a situation they described as both dangerous and unacceptable in a health institution.
Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu expressed disappointment over the state of the facility, warning that the lack of clean water poses additional health risks to patients.
“At the Athi River Hospital, we are also not happy as a committee. The water issue must be fixed so that we don’t expose patients to other diseases,” said Kavindu.
Adding her voice, Nominated Senator Mariam Omar observed that while there have been efforts to improve referral hospitals, county hospitals appear to have been “completely neglected.”
The senators vowed to compile their findings into a formal report to be presented to Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti, urging her administration to take immediate corrective action to restore order in the health sector.
“We must call the county government to order,” emphasized Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli.
As the committee pushes for accountability, residents of Machakos continue to bear the brunt of a failing health system — one where overworked and unpaid medical staff struggle to serve patients amid water shortages and deteriorating infrastructure.
The Senate Health Committee has pledged to follow up on the matter to ensure that Machakos County’s health sector gets the urgent attention it deserves before the crisis worsens.
