THEDISPATCH.DIGITAL REPORTER
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti was Thursday calling for dialogue with Gen Z youth as her county hospitals grappled with severe drug and staff shortages amid accusations she was spending taxpayer money to brand public projects with her image and name.
On a tour of parts of the county, Ms. Ndeti said she was “ready to dialogue with Machakos Gen Zs” as she claimed that she knew “many of them are jobless and the economy is not favourable.” She claimed that some politicians had been “ferrying young people from outside Machakos to cause chaos and destruction” as voices rose over alleged malpractices and corruption in the County Government of Machakos under her watch. Wavinya went on to urge youths in Machakos “to maintain peace even as they agitate for their rights and not to accept any invitation to engage in criminal activities.”
But while she spoke atop a four wheel SUV on her tour, claims were emerging online that her son, who manages the county’s payment systems, had allowed corruption to thrive, which had led to severe shortages of essential supplies, including drugs and and food for inpatients at te County referral hospital.
The allegations of the governor’s son’s role in corruption arose as more claims of corruption were made against him for for his role in previous scandals including mismanagement of funds running into millions of shilling meant for dam projects.
It was claimed that although the county has received billions of shillings disbursed to it through the revenue sharing programme with the national government, patients at the county’s hospitals often endure delayed meals and, at times, skip meals altogether due to inadequate food supplies.
Claims were made that the county hospital’s food supply is linked to the linked to the Governor’s Kinanie Farm. At the same time, nurses at the hospital have issued a 21-day strike notice due to the challenges the hospitals are facing.
Apart from healthcare, residents and contractors in Machakos County claim that there is bias in the award of tenders under the Ministry of Transport, Roads and Housing. It is alleged that these tenders disproportionately favour companies associated with local politicians such as Machakos Town MP Caleb Mule and his brother. The discontent extends to the quality of road construction and maintenance works as dissatisfied residents demand transparency and fair allocation of tenders. Similar claims have emerged in neighbouring areas, like Kitui East, whose MP is accused similar corrupt practices. The situation has given rise to calls for intervention from Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen to address these systemic challenges and restore public trust in Machakos County’s governance and procurement processes.