Millions of shillings lie idle in unused county health projects

Medical equipment worth millions of shillings continue to lie idle in counties, the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu says.

In her report on county governments for the Year 2023/2024, the Auditor General raises concerns over the expenditure of money on projects and the acquisition of items that are not utilized in various county hospitals.

In the report, Kilifi County has yet to utilize a Sh33.49 million incinerator delivered on March 5, 2024.

“It was observed that the incinerator was delivered on March 5, 2024 but had not been put into use as of the time of the audit in October 2024, about seven months later,” read the report in part.

Further, the county government spent Sh14.4 million on the supply and delivery of digital x-ray machines. One machine was delivered on February 22, 2024, but a physical inspection that was carried out in October 2024, about eight months later, established it was not in use and was still in the store.

The Auditor General said the county government contravened Section 149 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.

In Kitui County, a Sh2.2 million X-ray building at Kauwi Hospital was complete but not in use. The county government, as per the audit, explained that it was awaiting installation of an X-ray machine. The auditor noted that the hospital has an X-ray machine delivered in the 2017/2018 financial year at a cost of Sh70 million but it is yet to be installed and commissioned.

At Kitui County Referral Hospital is a Sh14.5 million oxygen plant machine that was supplied in the 2016/2017 financial year but was yet to be installed and commissioned at the time of the audit on September 11, 2024.

“Further, it was stored in an unsecured storage space outside, exposing it to risk of physical deterioration due to adverse weather conditions,” read the report.

The Auditor General said the public may not get value for money from the expenditure on the uncompleted projects.

In Machakos County, there are idle clinical officers and medical doctors. The audit revealed that a review of staff payroll revealed that a total of 67 clinical officers and 61 medical doctors were in the payroll.

However, review of the doctor analysis report generated from Integrated Health Management System revealed that no activity was undertaken by the clinical officers and doctors from September 2023 when Level Four and Five hospitals were digitized and from February to March, 2024 when all Level Three and Four were digitized.

In Nyeri County’s Naromoru Level Four Hospital, the audit revealed that there were two surgery theatres with air conditioning valued at Sh9.7 million which were completed but not in use.

Nakuru County failed to utilize four projects, totaling Sh30.2 million, that were complete. The projects were not in use due to non-equipping in three of the facilities and non-installation of generators in one of the facilities.

In Siaya County, the X-ray machine at Got Agulu Hospital was not being utilized. This was as a result of a lack of a radiographer to operate it.

The Kisumu County government on its part awarded contracts for proposed construction to completion of Dago Kotiende and Kowino Maternity units and rehabilitation at the Chulaimbo Sub-county Hospital at a cost of Sh10, 880,291.

A review of the projects indicated that the works were done as per the Bill of Quantities. However, physical verification in September 2024 revealed that the facilities were complete but remained idle.

In Migori County, a Sh2.9 million ablution block at Rongo Sub-county Hospital was not in use despite completion as the contractor had not handed it over.Kisii County also continued to fund idle projects.

The audit revealed that a review of the contract revealed that the management spent Sh3.2 million on the project. The auditor noted that the projects were completed but were not in use.