Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi faced tough questioning from the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee over significant shortcomings in the county’s health sector.
The committee, led by Senator Godfrey Osotsi, reviewed an Auditor General report that exposed a number of issues in public hospitals during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Among the problems highlighted were missing medical equipment, inadequate staffing, and irregular human resource practices across Level 4 sub-county hospitals and the Level 5 Baringo County Referral Hospital (BCRH).
A major concern raised by the senators was the issuance of over Ksh.2.2 million in hospital bill waivers to patients who were not enrolled in the Social Health Authority (SHA).
According to the Social Health Authority Regulations 2024, all claims require a valid SHA number, and waivers given to patients without this registration violated the rules.
Governor Cheboi defended the practice, explaining that a large portion of Baringo residents do not have proper identification documents, which makes SHA registration impossible.
He argued that in some cases, hospitals must choose between strict legal compliance and attending to urgent human needs, such as releasing bodies from mortuaries or treating indigent patients.
The senators also questioned the lack of equipment in the county hospitals and how residents could access quality healthcare under these conditions.
Senator Osotsi emphasized that the Auditor General’s findings were based on actual visits and verified facts, not opinions.
He pressed the governor to clarify what it truly means for patients to access services in Level 4 and Level 5 hospitals when essential equipment is missing.
Governor Cheboi acknowledged these gaps, noting that the official classification of hospitals often moves faster than the arrival of specialized equipment.
He cited Eldama Ravine Hospital as an example, where an asset management committee has now been formed to properly account for hospital assets, a step that had been neglected before.
The Auditor’s report further revealed that Baringo’s hospitals employ 730 casual staff members, including 222 at the Level 5 referral hospital, with some technical staff on rolling three-month contracts for up to ten years.
This practice violates the Employment Act and the County Public Service Human Resource Manual.
Senator Osotsi criticized the approach, pointing out that the county is paying the same staff repeatedly without providing job security or pensions, which the law does not allow as a form of savings.
Governor Cheboi admitted that the wage bill is a heavy burden and that engaging staff on short-term contracts has been a widespread necessity to keep hospitals running. He said that Facility Improvement Funds have helped sustain operations and that plans are underway to regularize long-serving staff through the Public Service Board while balancing the county’s fiscal limits.
The committee concluded its session with a plan to conduct a physical inspection of BCRH and develop a management action plan to address staffing irregularities and improve hospital services.