Kirinyaga County has emerged as a model for healthcare and water service delivery, attracting a delegation from Bomet County on a benchmarking mission to study its transformative strategies.
Led by Bomet’s County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Medical and Health Services, Dr Joseph Sitonik, the delegation toured the state-of-the-art medical complex at Kerugoya County Referral Hospital and inspected the upcoming healthcare facility at Kimbimbi.
The visit aimed to gather insights on improving service delivery in Bomet.
“This is a benchmark visit, and you cannot hide the fact that Kirinyaga is actually a leader in these sectors. We have learned a lot through this visit and plan to replicate what we have seen and learnt in Bomet,” Sitonik remarked.
He noted that Kirinyaga’s investment in medical infrastructure had significantly enhanced service delivery, making it an ideal county for learning.
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The team closely examined how the Kerugoya Medical Complex was designed with long-term healthcare needs in mind, a concept Bomet hopes to incorporate into its own Mother and Child hospital project.
“We are in the process of equipping our Mother and Child hospital in Bomet and we are in the phase where we are trying to see what equipment and fittings we require, and we want to invite the architect, biomedical engineer, CEC among others to come help us on areas we need not factor while building our facility,” Sitonik explained.
Water access was another key area of interest for the Bomet team. According to Chepkuto Jepchirchir, the CECM in charge of Water, Sanitation, Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, Kirinyaga had made remarkable progress in ensuring a stable supply of clean water for both domestic and agricultural use.
“We are happy as Bomet County that this visit has got us answers to some of the challenges to do with provision of water. Kirinyaga is one of the rural counties that has registered great progress in provision of water for domestic and irrigation, and anyone who wants to learn on success of devolution then you must visit Kirinyaga,” said Chepkuto.
Kirinyaga’s success in healthcare has drawn attention from multiple counties.
The county’s adoption of the Hospital Management Integrated System has streamlined service delivery, enhancing accountability, monitoring, and evaluation.
Dr George Karoki, the Kirinyaga CECM for Medical Services, Public Health, and Sanitation, welcomed the interest from other counties, stating that Kirinyaga’s progress was a direct result of sustained investment in infrastructure and operational reforms.
“The opening of state-of-the-art Medical Complex that has elevated the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital to a level five facility that is now offering comprehensive medical services for which residents have always been referred to Nairobi has been a game-changer,” Karoki said.
Several counties, including Turkana, Laikipia, Kiambu, Nyeri, and Tharaka Nithi, have visited Kirinyaga to learn from its approach to public service delivery.
A recent Infotrak survey ranked Kirinyaga’s healthcare sector third nationally, further cementing its reputation as a leader in service delivery.
Governor Anne Waiguru, speaking on the benchmarking visits, urged leaders to avoid politicising healthcare, warning that unnecessary criticism was demoralising medical professionals.
“As a leader, and if you have a genuine complaint and you want a solution and want to help people, then take it through the right channel,” she said.
Don’t talk from Nairobi. You call the Governor and tell me you have gone to this facility and found this problem, but stop lecturing our medics because you are hurting them."
As more counties look to Kirinyaga for lessons in effective governance, its progress stands as a testament to the potential of devolution in transforming public service delivery.
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