Wajir: Residents of Wajir County marked the 62nd Madaraka Day with vibrant celebrations at Tarbaj Primary and Junior School, where leaders rallied the community to uphold peace, push for health sector reforms, and empower the youth towards innovation and development.
According to Kenya News Agency, Wajir County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo underscored the importance of national cohesion, urging residents to uphold peace and unity as a tribute to the nation's founding heroes. 'Our founding fathers gave their lives for our freedom. It is now our duty to protect that freedom by working together as a united community and shunning anything that can divide us,' he said.
Ngumo lauded ongoing infrastructural and educational developments and called on young people to reject harmful cultural practices such as early marriages and inter-clan animosities, encouraging them to pursue innovation and community-driven progress.
On his part, Governor Ahmed Abdullahi raised concern over the uncertain future of health workers recruited under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme during the COVID-19 pandemic, urging the national government to provide counties with adequate resources to absorb the staff on permanent terms. 'These UHC staff were recruited under inferior contractual terms, and now that their term is ending, the national government is shifting the payroll burden to counties without adequate financial support,' the Governor said.
He further welcomed the rollout of the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA) but warned of potential fraud, drawing parallels with the troubled National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). He emphasized the need for transparency, ethical conduct, and digitization to safeguard public health investments.
Wajir North Member of Parliament (MP) Ibrahim Saney echoed these sentiments, applauding the initial rollout of SHA funds to local dispensaries but lamenting that poor governance at the facility level could stifle progress. 'The only impediment to the success of SHA is governance. We have facilities that cannot absorb funds because they lack operational structures,' he said.
Saney further decried the closure of private health facilities in the region, attributing the trend to what he termed as regulatory overreach and conflict of interest within the medical oversight bodies. 'So many nursing homes and health centres were closed unfairly; a facility should not be shut down just because it lacks a theatre,' he added.
Saney defended the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), calling it a key driver of local development, while advocating for depoliticized management and enhanced constitutional alignment. The event was graced by local leaders, national and county officials, elders, and members of the public. This year's theme focused on grassroots empowerment and transparent governance, as Kenyans celebrated 62 years since attaining internal self-rule on June 1, 1963.