The county government of Baringo has issued a contractor five months ultimatum to complete a stalled Sh173 million County Referral Hospital, Kabarnet, modern surgical block.
The project was conceptualised in 2015 but its construction has been taking a snail pace due to myriad of challenges. According to the County Executive Committee (CEC) for Health Dr Richard Rotich, part of the reason for delays was change of project design which has halted the takeoff. He blamed Covid-19 disease among other reasons for the delay because the restrictions of movement had prevented the project from running smoothly.
Alleviate congestion in general ward
Currently the project is 40% complete and is expected to be finalized by February 2022. The four storey building constructed under the Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP) and financed by World Bank (WB). Upon completion, the facility will greatly alleviate congestion in general wards at the level five hospital facility. The improved design will accommodate more rooms like intensive care unit, a theatre, administration block, and dialysis. The over 200 bed capacity unit will reduce patient mortalities by around 50% as modern equipment shall be installed.
โWe have talked with the contractor and he has since promised us that he shall work round the clock to ensure that the remaining part is completed by February next year. We will guarantee sufficient funding even through a supplementary budget to ensure that any variations that will arise from the construction will be taken care of,โ he said.
