Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali: My track record is impeccable

Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali has defended his seven years at the helm of the devolved unit amid allegations of graft and mismanagement.

The Governor outlined key developments his administration has made in various sectors since he took over the reins of the county government in 2017.

Defending his tenure, the governor pointed to multi-billion projects in the health sector that have improved access to health services in the marginalised county.

He said his administration was able to establish a renal unit at Marsabit Referral Hospital in 2018, equipped with seven machines and serving 37 patients for haemodialysis.

The facility was also strengthened by the establishment of a mother and child complex with neonatal units, phototherapy, baby resuscitators and a postnatal wing.

This is in addition to the establishment of an oxygen plant to provide sufficient oxygen to all sub-county hospitals and a six-bed intensive care unit (ICU) with state-of-the-art equipment.

"We also opened a CT scan facility in 2018, reducing the need for patients to travel to Nairobi and cutting costs," said Governor Ali.

As part of the critical health sector reforms, the county government also established a regional laboratory with advanced diagnostic technology, including a molecular laboratory, and recruited a team of eight medical specialists, including an oncologist and a radiologist, to provide specialised care locally.

The current administration has also established a state-of-the-art blood bank, which supplies blood to all sub-county hospitals and manages shortages.

The developments have also increased the capacity of the Sololo Level Four Hospital to 150 beds, providing comprehensive medical services to some 50,000 people.

"We also initiated and completed the construction of the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Marsabit. We also equipped the facility with 12 lecture theatres, an administrative block, a skills lab, a library and a computer lab," he said.

The transformation is not limited to the health sector; improvements have also been seen in the road sector.

The current regime has managed to construct 8.5 kilometres of tarmac roads with drainage structures and road furniture, 4km in Saku sub-county and 4.5km in Moyale sub-county.

They have also upgraded roads in Saku sub-county with asphalt concrete (ACC), including the Shauriyako town stretch and the Kenya Power and Manyatta Otte roads.

In the education sector, the county government has pumped millions of shillings into improving Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE).

Governor Ali's administration has constructed 137 new ECDE classrooms and recruited 235 ECDE teachers on a permanent basis, resulting in increased enrolment rates.

"We have launched a free school feeding programme in 328 ECDE centres to improve nutrition, enrolment and retention. We are also committed to improving the salaries and benefits of ECDE teachers," he said.

The county's vocational training centres have also grown from 200 students in 2018 to 615 students in 2022, with investments in trainers, dormitories and classrooms.

"A total of 4,000 students have graduated from the vocational centres in six years, gaining skills for employment and self-employment," said the governor.

Governor Ali also established the Marsabit Young Scholars Fund for Equity in Education in the financial year ending June 2019, with a budget of Sh60 million.

In its first year, the fund provided full scholarships to 253 high school students, targeting those from disadvantaged backgrounds, while also providing free vocational training to 575 students, teaching them handicrafts, plumbing, electrical and masonry.

By the financial year ending June 2020, the fund will have expanded to support an additional 578 students.

"By 2023, a total of 5916 students will have benefited from the scholarship programme, with a 90 per cent university transition rate for the first cohort," said Mr Ali.

But that is not all. The county government is implementing a paid internship programme, employing more than 2,000 young people to combat unemployment and improve skills development.

The water sector has also not been left behind in the arid and semi-arid county, with the county government working with the World Bank to expand the Bakuli IV dam, increasing its capacity to 300,000 cubic metres.

The administration has also drilled 80 strategic boreholes with solar-powered pumps and rehabilitated 80 existing boreholes to improve water access in the county.

The county government is also constructing 62 large community water points with pre-paid meters for sustainable use, laying 460 kilometres of pipelines, connecting about 2,000 households to the water supply, and restoring the water supply in Marsabit Town.

To promote rainwater harvesting, the devolved unit has constructed 75 underground tanks, 56 masonry tanks and 15 rock catchments for rainwater harvesting.

"We have also distributed 9,000 plastic water tanks (5,000 litres each) for rainwater harvesting and constructed 15 medium dams (45,000 cubic metres each) for pastoral communities," said Governor Ali.