Vihiga County Senator Godfrey Osotsi has blamed years of water shortages and deteriorating health services in the county on poor governance and failure by the county government to implement key recommendations by the Senate Health Committee.
Speaking on Radio 47’s Breakfast 47 show, Senator Osotsi expressed concern over the worsening state of healthcare and water services in Vihiga, stating that despite Senate interventions, the county government has been slow in acting on proposed reforms.
“There is a KSh 2 billion water infrastructure project funded by the Belgian government targeting all five sub-counties in Vihiga. However, the project lacked last-mile connectivity. The Senate advised the county government to invest an additional KSh 200 million to complete it. It’s now the second year, and nothing has been done,” Osotsi said.
He also criticized the management of Amatsi Water Services Company Ltd. (AWASCO), a water provider operating in Vihiga under the Water Act 2016, saying that despite recent managerial changes, residents still face acute water shortages.
“One of the Senate’s recommendations was to reduce water losses, which are close to 50% due to leakages, but no action has been taken. Another recommendation was for AWASCO to aggressively collect outstanding debts from consumers to minimize financial losses,” the Senator explained.
On healthcare, Osotsi said that nearly all public hospitals in Vihiga County face serious challenges, citing persistent audit concerns raised by the Auditor General.
“Vihiga County Referral Hospital, in particular, has had audit issues for two consecutive years. The Auditor General’s reports have flagged questionable spending. As a result, we summoned the county government to the Senate to answer questions regarding financial mismanagement as part of efforts to address the crisis,” he added.
The Senator defended his oversight role while questioning the county’s allocation of less than 20% of its KSh 6.9 billion annual budget to development, a figure below the experts’ recommendation of at least 35%, emphasizing that better governance and accountability are crucial to improving service delivery for the people of Vihiga.
Osotsi urged the county administration to prioritize implementation of Senate recommendations, calling for urgent reforms in water and health sectors to improve the livelihoods of Vihiga residents.
