Wandayi raises red flag about proposed Sh28b Eldoret hospital

The Leader of Minority in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi has called for the suspension of the planned mega hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county.

According to Wandayi, reports indicate plans for the construction of the Sh28 billion hospital in Eldoret are at an advanced stage and funds have already been set aside.

“According to the reports, Eldoret is set to host something between 2,000-4,000- bed capacity hospital that will be one of the largest in Africa. Its capacity will be almost three times that of Kenyatta National Hospital, the largest public health facility in East and Central Africa,” said Wandayi, in a statement yesterday.

“We are opposed to this project that is shrouded in complete opacity and has all the makings of cash cows that come within the first months of a new regime before being abandoned once the big boys have had their loot,” he added.

Wandayi said new governments have a history of reviving abandoned and stalled projects just to help the new players make quick money. Power brokers He said there is no sufficient information on the project, noting that it had not been cleared by relevant committees of Parliament and the gazette notice that it is supposedly founded upon is hardly accessible to the public.

“We are raising the red flag over this project and demanding its immediate suspension until all the questions that hover over it are adequately answered. We are concerned that this project is being pulled out of the shelves and dusted for implementation not to serve the public but to line up the pockets of the new power brokers in town,” Wandayi stated.

Wandayi said the “lack of transparency and air of conspiracy” around the project should be enough signal to Kenyans that they are about to be scammed.

Other than lack of transparency, Wandayi said the thought behind the project was discriminatory and sought to continue the politics of favouritism and patronage through which deserving regions have been denied projects.

He said this is how Eldoret got a high-caliber airport ahead of more deserving regions like Nakuru, Kisumu, Isiolo and parts of the Coast.

“It is plain wrong to give the North Rift another high-calibre hospital in addition to the poorly managed Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital while other regions are struggling to get level five hospitals,” Wanndayi stated.

Anglo Leasing According to the Leader of Minority, the focus should be on ensuring equity in the distribution of Level Five hospitals while ensuring that regions that already have those facilities are able to maintain and sustain them.

“Taxpayers’ money must be used equitably and fairly among all regions and communities regardless of where the President comes from,” Wandayi said.

“This is how Anglo Leasing was born. This is how the tens of scandals that dogged Jubilee’s first term were born. It is the same mindset that produced the Goldenberg,” added.

Should such a project be established, Wandayi said it must not be in Eldoret and the law governing public finances must be followed to the letter. He said reports indicate that a contractor had been identified but the process had not been publicised.

“We are being told of a contract value running into billions of shillings but nobody knows how the value had been arrived at without a competitive process as required by law,” he said.

Wandayi said people know where they plan to set up the hospital but nobody knows how the choice of location was arrived at.

“We are being told that once the planned project is completed, the current MTRH facility, which was put up by National Government funds, will be handed over to the Uasin Gishu County. It is not clear how that works.”