The Cabinet has approved the plan to take over the Gilgil Mental Hospital from Nakuru County government as part of addressing rising cases of mental health in the country.
The move follows a request by the County government through the Ministry of Health to take over the facility due to strained financial constraints.
According to Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, the facility that serves hundreds of mental patients had for years constrained the County’s budget.
Kinyanjui termed the mental hospital as very critical noting that it was second to Mathare hospital and thus the need to fully support it.
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“We made a request to have this mental facility taken over by the national government and the Cabinet has approved this and we are calling on the process to be expedited,” he said.
Speaking in Gilgil, the governor praised medics in the facility for taking care of the mental patients some of whom had been abandoned by their kin for over 20 years.
On COVID-19, Kinyanjui said that Naivasha and Gilgil sub-county hospitals had identified as centres for treatment of the disease in case the numbers continued to rise.
He said that the government had released funds towards expanding the two facilities with Gilgil getting a 100 beds capacity.
“Once this pandemic is over, these facilities will be of great benefit to area residents and they will help improve medical services in the county,” he said.
On the planned impeachment, the Governor hit out at some MCAs who he termed as greedy and power hungry noting that his government would not be cowed by their threats.
“We even have some few nominated MCAs who are involved in this petty plan and they should know that the party is keenly watching their steps,” he said.
On his part, the leader of the majority in the county assembly Moses Ndung’u disassociated himself with the impeachment saying that they were fully behind the Governor.
“There are some few disgruntled elements who should be ignored as we know the development agenda of the governor and we fully back him,” he said
This was echoed by Morendat MCA Peter Njoroge who dismissed those planning the impeachment saying that they were the minority who didn’t have any basis.
“The only impeachment we have heard was the one in Kirinyaga County and in Nakuru we are fully behind our governor and we are not part of the few disgruntled elements,” he said.
