Mombasa County Government needs to improve staffing and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in the county’s health facilities.
An oversight report released by Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki reveals that the county’s health facilities are understaffed, thus impacting healthcare delivery.
“We lack adequate personnel in the health sector, and because of that, the facilities were allowed, at some point, to employ casuals for one year, two years, and this has been going on for so long. Some people have been there for 20.
“Like at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, the people working in the non-medical professions, e.g, laundry, kitchen, those who deal with issues of hygiene and cleanliness in the hospital, most of them are not permanently employed,” said Faki.
Apart from being understaffed, the facilities also lack adequate equipment.
“At Coast General, we have an MRI machine bought 10 years ago. It is currently outdated; even the images it is producing are not the proper images required by doctors, and the county government has not invested in the acquisition of this MRI equipment, which is very essential,” said Sen Faki.
The county also has a challenge of idle facilities, some are not being used for their intended purpose.
“We went to Shonda where a level three facility has been built but is not used. It is used as a dwelling facility for a family. Good thing they are taking care of the facility because if they were not there, then it would have already been vandalized,” said the Senator.
“Marimani is a level three hospital in Mwakirunge that can be converted into level four. Marimani was closed because it was too expensive for locals,” said Senator.
The public is now forced to use a small clinic that, according to Senator Faki, does not allow for doctor-patient confidentiality.
The report also revealed that other health facilities do not have a perimeter wall, and others have no security.
The oversight report, grounded in Article 96 of the Constitution, highlights efforts to enhance transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in Mombasa County’s development over three financial years (2022/2023 –2024/2025).
The exercise revealed key challenges across sectors, including poor service delivery in health due to staff shortages and lack of equipment, stalled ECDE centers, delayed or incomplete market and social hall projects, and underperforming fire services.
Despite budget allocations, many projects remain unfinished or unused, with minimal public participation in decision-making.
Concerns were raised over misallocated bursary funds, inefficient budget utilization, and lack of transparency in project costs.
