By Naima Idris
Residents of Lamu county have in recent years been complaining over the misappropriation of public funds. Every year the county receives substantial budgetary allocation from the national government to support the affairs of the county in terms of development especially in critical sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation, infrastructure and youth empowerment. Unfortunately, there has been very minimal regard to the needs and priorities of the local community as most projects are pushed by personal interests.
Many communities in Lamu still lack clean drinking water, essential medicines, trained medical personnel, and proper learning facilities. Yet, the county budget reflects massive spending on questionable projects that have very minimal benefit to the local people. One example that has sparked public outrage is the ongoing cabro installation project outside the Lamu market. This five-meter path is reportedly costing the county approximately KSh 8 million; a figure that residents say is grossly inflated.
Based on a recent community baraza, the residents were complaining about hospitals lacking enough skilled personnel to attend to patients. Due to this, one specialist has to attend to different sectors. A good example that was brought forward was that only one staff was in charge of the Xray, Ultrasound and CT scan. This makes the service delivery slow and ineffective as patients have to wait in line for too long despite their challenging conditions.
Moreover, while physical dispensary structures exist in areas such as Faza and Mbwajumwali in Lamu East, they remain non-operational due to the absence of medical staff. Villagers are forced to undertake risky and costly journeys by boat across rough seas to Amu Island in search of treatment. An ordeal that has in some cases proved fatal during emergencies.
To make matters worse, dispensaries in Kashmiri and Wiyoni reportedly deny services to patients not registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA), further alienating vulnerable populations who cannot afford registration. These conditions paint a grim reality of exclusion and neglect.
It is high time for the Lamu County Government to realign its priorities with the needs of its citizens. Misplaced priorities should no longer be normalized. Development must be people-centered and needs driven.
