Isiolo County is among those ill-prepared to deal with deadly Coronavirus that continues to wreak havoc in the world and whose confirmed cases in Kenya stood at 2767 as of June 7.
The county despite having opened an ICU unit at the Referral Hospital in April this year, is yet to employ needed staff to run the machines.
Recent filling of the secretary post in the County Public Service Board was expected to expedite recruitment of over 300 people which had been stopped by anti-graft agency for lack of a properly constituted board but nothing has been done close to a month later.
Governor Mohamed Kuti recently said two nurses offered by the Kenya Medical Training College would train those at the facility on how to operate ICU machines but the purported training is yet to kick off.
At the referral hospital, where a Covid-19 isolation ward has been established, oxygen supply is a challenge and many are the times critical patients are forced to be rushed to other counties for the services.
Hand washing facilities that had been installed at the hospital’s entrance have already been withdrawn with patients visiting in most cases passing through without having their temparatures checked.
While the adminstration maintains that it has trained over 350 health workers on how to handle Covid-19 patients, a big number of those who spoke to us said had not been trained.
At the hospital’s waiting bay and pharmacy area, patients crowd in huge numbers breaking social distancing rules.
Quite a number of the health workers in almost all the departments hardly put their masks on and only a handful have gloves.
Casual workers especially those cleaning up the hospital’s veranda have no masks and hand gloves in what could expose them to the disease.
There has been concerns over utilization of Sh40 million set aside for prevention and management of the disease with residents complaining that the funds had been poorly used.
To start with, distribution of flour that was meant to benefit vulnerable families was skewed as did not reach the intended needy residents.
The Press Point learnt that a big chunk of the food was given to known persons and groups affiliated to some county government officials.
Among those who complained are residents of Mwangaza and Kulamawe areas who claimed that the county team tasked with the distribution shared the foodstuffs with their friends at the expense of the elderly with the remaining food being sold at local shops.
Governor Kuti is on record saying he had no plans for the money following heated criticisms from the residents and other local leaders in what presents a clear picture of a leader who does not know what to do for his people.
Most of items that have already been distributed by the County Covid-19 Emergency Response Team chaired by the Governor and county commissioner Herman Shambi are donations by individuals, groups, organisations and even the government.
Mr Kuti, last month flagged off consignment of 30, 000 face masks, sanitizers and chlorine for fumigation but he did not reveal which areas would benefit.
The county boss had initially said his government would produce over 200, 000 face masks for residents but later changed the number to 50, 000.
“We are wondering where the donations are taken to because we are yet to benefit with any,” said a resident of Burat.
The Press Point has learnt that the donations are offloaded at an office in Isiolo town belonging to senior county government official and later distributed to their preferred people most of whom are in a position to afford meals.
A day after a flour company donated more than 500 bales this week, we spotted someone coming from the office with 10 bales.
And while isolation beds have been set up at most of the local health facilities across the county, they are just plain beds with no oxygen supply among other items.
The quarantine centres are in pathetic state and contacts continue to mingle freely risking lives for thousands who they come into contact with after they are released.
Those at the quarantine centres especially in Isiolo town have no food and are forced to buy from their own pockets. They are also the ones doing laundry with the centers rarely fumigated.
Recently bought low-quality sanitization booths placed at the Referral Hospital and in Isiolo town are not working. The town one has already been defaced.
Street family continue to roam in the town with no food or place to lay their heads but the county insists they have all been housed at a school within Kambi ya Juu area and provided with food, bedding and other necessities.
A disconnect between the security and health teams which are part of the response team could cost the county in coming future.
Unlike before when both teams would coordinate in making press releases, it has now become so difficult as neither shares information with the other, the Press Point has learnt.
Could this be a scheme by the county government to appear as if it is helping its people whereas the items being distributed are donations?
This could perhaps be the reason some of the MPs in the county have preferred to distribute their donations on their own without involving the response team.
