SPEECH BY H.E GOVERNOR DR. ALFRED N. MUTUA DURING THE LAUNCH OF AMBULANCES AND COMMUNITY HOSPITALS.

In Machakos County there are many children called Nzia, meaning road, because they were born by the side of a road. Others are called Nzyoka, which means "He has returned" because they were born after the death of the one they followed. i!ing birth in "enya and continent, #frica, is a $recarious affair. Many children are born at home, on the road or in bushes. Mortality rates are high because mothers are not able to get to a health center on time and es$ecially if an o$eration is re%uired. #ccess to healthcare is a fundamental right that has eluded many of us. One of the $rinci$les of de!olution is to $ro!ide better and accessible healthcare to all "enyans. &o this end, we ha!e decided to ensure that all citizens and !isitors in Machakos ha!e access to emergency care and treatment. &he 'nited Nations( )orld Health Organization recommends that there be a community hos$ital within e!ery * kilometers of e!ery $erson. &his is a target that we ho$e to achie!e in the near future. etting to hos$ital for emergency treatment is essential to sa!e li!es. &hat is why while I was cam$aigning, I $romised that our mothers will no longer be ferried on wheelbarrows and donkeys to go and gi!e birth. &oday, I am $leased to fulfill that $romise. )e are un!eiling a Health Care $rogram of "shs. + billion. In this $rogram, we ha!e $urchased ,- ambulances. .e!enty are ambulance !ans and +- are motorcycle ra$id res$onse ambulances. #ll the ambulances are fully e%ui$$ed and ready. /ach of the 01 locations in Machakos County will ha!e an ambulance a!ailable 23 hours for emergency care. &he Motorcycle ambulances will be distributed to towns and congested areas and also in $laces where the terrain is such that a motorcycle can use a shortcut to get to a $atient %uickly for life sa!ing first aid as they await the !an ambulance to arri!e. &he brand new ambulances ha!e cost "shs. ,...... million which is less than the "shs. +3million that was budgeted for in our estimates. Call centers are also ready so that there is s$eedy res$onse. /ach of the ambulances has two trained $aramedics who are con!ersant with the area of o$eration. /ach of the ambulances will ha!e fuel and location trackers and a communication radio for dis$atch. In an emergency, anywhere in Machakos County, dial 111 for a $olice !ehicle or ambulance, 23 hours a day. In the whole of "enya, we ha!e about 2-- ambulances. )e ha!e 4ust added 5- to that number. &he e6$enses for their fuel and maintenance has also been budgeted, factored and assured. 7ecause you cannot ha!e an ambulance taking a $atient to a clinic which is not able to cater to the $atient8s needs, we ha!e started construction of 3- community hos$itals by u$grading e6isting health centers and building new hos$itals where there are no e6isting ser!ices. )e are s$ending *-- million "shs for this !enture and each of the community hos$itals 9 one $er ward 9 will ha!e a maternity, ward, mini9theatre, lab and 69ray facilities. &hese hos$itals will be fully constructed by end of :une, this year, and fully e%ui$$ed and functioning by end of #ugust, this year. /%ui$$ing them to international standards will cost an additional "shs. +*- million. )e ha!e also budgeted and set systems for the $ro$er functioning of our health centers. #ll our hos$itals and clinics ha!e ade%uate medicines and consumables such as glo!es and needles. In Machakos County we ha!e ensured that no $atient e!er shares a bed with another $atient or

slee$s on the floor. &o retain and attract medical $ersonnel, we are constructing housing at a cost of "shs. +*million, and ensuring there are o!ertime allowances for medical $ersonnel, as earlier $romised. I gi!e notice to all health care workers and administrators that with this in!estment, ser!ice $ro!ision should be e6cellent. #ll medical centers should be s$otless clean and at all times looking new and organized. # hos$ital should be the e$itome of hygiene. &herefore, if a health center is dirty and toilets are dirty and stinky, then the one in charge of the hos$ital has to go home immediately for endangering the li!es of $atients. )e are going to conduct an audit within a month and start weeding out $eo$le not able to ad4ust to the international standards we are setting in Machakos for the benefit of our $eo$le. In conclusion, I wish to say that we are able to achie!e all our de!elo$ment $ro4ects because we $lanned ahead e!en before we $re$ared our budget, so as to ca$ture our manifesto $romises. )e are also adhering to strict $rocurement guidelines and trans$arency. )e ha!e set reser!e $rices so we get goods and ser!ices at market $rices and e!en at the case of these new ambulances managed to get them below the market $rices. #ll the money we ha!e is for the $eo$le and not for corru$t elements and we make sure e!ery shilling gi!es us !alue. .ome $eo$le ha!e wondered, does Machakos ha!e more money than other Counties. )e are doing this because we are s$ending all money for the $eo$le and not for corru$t networks. ;adies and entlemen, I wish to inform you all that my o!ernment is fully seized with the failure of the rains and the food security $roblem. &o this end, we ha!e reallocated "shs. 2*- million in our su$$lementary budget for food relief, es$ecially targeted to school feeding $rogram. <inally, ladies and gentlemen, )e no longer need to hear of children in Machakos gi!en the names of roads and bushes because after today, their mothers can be %uickly taken to hos$ital. #t the most, we should be hearing of children called "#mbyulanzi". &hank you and od bless you. &uesday, <ebruary +,, 2-+3 Machakos .tadium. In Machakos County there are many children called Nzia, meaning road, because they were born by the side of a road. Others are called Nzyoka, which means "He has returned" because they were born after the death of the one they followed. i!ing birth in "enya and continent, #frica, is a $recarious affair. Many children are born at home, on the road or in bushes. Mortality rates are high because mothers are not able to get to a health center on time and es$ecially if an o$eration is re%uired. #ccess to healthcare is a fundamental right that has eluded many of us. One of the $rinci$les of de!olution is to $ro!ide better and accessible healthcare to all "enyans. &o this end, we ha!e decided to ensure that all citizens and !isitors in Machakos ha!e access to emergency care and treatment. &he 'nited Nations( )orld Health Organization recommends that there be a community hos$ital within e!ery * kilometers of e!ery $erson. &his is a target that we ho$e to achie!e in the near

future. etting to hos$ital for emergency treatment is essential to sa!e li!es. &hat is why while I was cam$aigning, I $romised that our mothers will no longer be ferried on wheelbarrows and donkeys to go and gi!e birth. &oday, I am $leased to fulfill that $romise. )e are un!eiling a Health Care $rogram of "shs. + billion. In this $rogram, we ha!e $urchased ,- ambulances. .e!enty are ambulance !ans and +- are motorcycle ra$id res$onse ambulances. #ll the ambulances are fully e%ui$$ed and ready. /ach of the 01 locations in Machakos County will ha!e an ambulance a!ailable 23 hours for emergency care. &he Motorcycle ambulances will be distributed to towns and congested areas and also in $laces where the terrain is such that a motorcycle can use a shortcut to get to a $atient %uickly for life sa!ing first aid as they await the !an ambulance to arri!e. &he brand new ambulances ha!e cost "shs. ,...... million which is less than the "shs. +3million that was budgeted for in our estimates. Call centers are also ready so that there is s$eedy res$onse. /ach of the ambulances has two trained $aramedics who are con!ersant with the area of o$eration. /ach of the ambulances will ha!e fuel and location trackers and a communication radio for dis$atch. In an emergency, anywhere in Machakos County, dial 111 for a $olice !ehicle or ambulance, 23 hours a day. In the whole of "enya, we ha!e about 2-- ambulances. )e ha!e 4ust added 5- to that number. &he e6$enses for their fuel and maintenance has also been budgeted, factored and assured. 7ecause you cannot ha!e an ambulance taking a $atient to a clinic which is not able to cater to the $atient8s needs, we ha!e started construction of 3- community hos$itals by u$grading e6isting health centers and building new hos$itals where there are no e6isting ser!ices. )e are s$ending *-- million "shs for this !enture and each of the community hos$itals 9 one $er ward 9 will ha!e a maternity, ward, mini9theatre, lab and 69ray facilities. &hese hos$itals will be fully constructed by end of :une, this year, and fully e%ui$$ed and functioning by end of #ugust, this year. /%ui$$ing them to international standards will cost an additional "shs. +*- million. )e ha!e also budgeted and set systems for the $ro$er functioning of our health centers. #ll our hos$itals and clinics ha!e ade%uate medicines and consumables such as glo!es and needles. In Machakos County we ha!e ensured that no $atient e!er shares a bed with another $atient or slee$s on the floor. &o retain and attract medical $ersonnel, we are constructing housing at a cost of "shs. +*million, and ensuring there are o!ertime allowances for medical $ersonnel, as earlier $romised. I gi!e notice to all health care workers and administrators that with this in!estment, ser!ice $ro!ision should be e6cellent. #ll medical centers should be s$otless clean and at all times looking new and organized. # hos$ital should be the e$itome of hygiene. &herefore, if a health center is dirty and toilets are dirty and stinky, then the one in charge of the hos$ital has to go home immediately for endangering the li!es of $atients. )e are going to conduct an audit within a month and start weeding out $eo$le not able to ad4ust to the international standards we are setting in Machakos for the benefit of our $eo$le. In conclusion, I wish to say that we are able to achie!e all our de!elo$ment $ro4ects because we $lanned ahead e!en before we $re$ared our budget, so as to ca$ture our manifesto $romises. )e are also adhering to strict $rocurement guidelines and trans$arency. )e ha!e set reser!e

$rices so we get goods and ser!ices at market $rices and e!en at the case of these new ambulances managed to get them below the market $rices. #ll the money we ha!e is for the $eo$le and not for corru$t elements and we make sure e!ery shilling gi!es us !alue. .ome $eo$le ha!e wondered, does Machakos ha!e more money than other Counties. )e are doing this because we are s$ending all money for the $eo$le and not for corru$t networks. ;adies and entlemen, I wish to inform you all that my o!ernment is fully seized with the failure of the rains and the food security $roblem. &o this end, we ha!e reallocated "shs. 2*- million in our su$$lementary budget for food relief, es$ecially targeted to school feeding $rogram. <inally, ladies and gentlemen, )e no longer need to hear of children in Machakos gi!en the names of roads and bushes because after today, their mothers can be %uickly taken to hos$ital. #t the most, we should be hearing of children called "#mbyulanzi". &hank you and od bless you. &uesday, <ebruary +,, 2-+3 Machakos .tadium.