NAIROBI: In the last three weeks, the
media has reported that two expectant women died in hospital while
waiting for medical attention. They died on different dates, in
different county hospitals. The women did not lose their lives
because of birth complications. They lost their lives because of the
collapse of the national and county health services. In the same
period the media also reported how the County Government of the City
of Nairobi will no longer offer free maternity services because the
costs incurred in the past have not been reimbursed by the National
Government for the last six months. The news cycle for the maternal
deaths and the lack of free maternal services ended shortly. The news
that captivated and continues to captivate the media and the nation
is the expenditures on dildos, pens, television, carpets and designer
condom dispensers in the Ministry of Planning and Devolution. The
National Government has the responsibility to ensure that County
Governments have the resources and capacity to offer adequate health
services at the county level. The National Government undertook to
underwrite the cost of maternity services so that expectant mothers
receive free maternal services. The ministry responsible for the
counties is that of Devolution and Planning. The Ministry of Planning
has an allocation of Sh60,218,095,064 for its development expenditure
for the current financial year that ends in June 2016. The Ministry
of Devolution has an allocation of Sh5,322,417,760 for its
development expenditure. The Cabinet Secretary in charge of Planning
and Devolution is therefore responsible for development expenditure
of at least Sh65,540,502,824. The Ministry of Planning has an
allocation of Sh19,600,767,000 for its recurrent expenditure for the
current financial year that ends in June 2016. The Ministry of
Devolution has an allocation of Sh2,298,785,390 for its recurrent
expenditure. The Cabinet Secretary in charge of Planning and
Devolution is therefore responsible for recurrent expenditure of at
least Sh21,799,552,390. See also: Kenya needs to develop
infrastructure prudently In fewer words and numbers, the Cabinet
Secretary in charge of Devolution and Planning has an annual budget
of at least Sh87 billion. The Ministry of Health has its own budget
allocations of at least Sh45 billion. County Governments also have
separate budget allocations for health services. The real cost of
corruption is not the money that ends ups in the pockets of select
individuals. Those are the benefits of corruption; reserved for a
privileged few. The real cost of corruption is not borne by the
Government. The Government is an artificial entity. It cannot exist
without its citizens. It cannot exist independent of its citizens. It
is fully, continuously and only financed by taxation of its citizens.
It is ordinary Kenyans who pay for the costs of corruption. By paying
taxes, it is ordinary Kenyans who meet the costs of free maternity
services. After paying taxes, because of the collapse of public
health services, ordinary Kenyans have to go back into their pockets
to pay private health facilities for maternity services. Despite
collection of taxes, because of corruption, public maternity services
are denied to those who can’t afford maternity services. Because of
corruption expectant mothers continue to lose their lives in public
hospitals. The cost of a Sh1.7 million television would have saved
the lives of the two expectant women who died in county hospitals
with no doctors or nurses in sight.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000182581/the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000182581/the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives
The cost of the sex toys, meant for
inter-departmental HIV programmes for adults would have saved the
lives of the two children snatched together with those of their
expectant mothers. The real costs of corruption are the lives of
ordinary citizens that Kenya continues to lose, one by one, day by
day, because taxes meant to secure and better their lives have been
diverted for private use and benefit.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000182581/the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives?articleID=2000182581&story_title=the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives&pageNo=2
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000182581/the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives?articleID=2000182581&story_title=the-poor-pay-the-price-for-graft-in-kenya-with-their-lives&pageNo=2
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