Governors reject board's move to categorise health facilities
Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka (left) receives an award from Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya after addressing the fourth Annual Devolution Conference in Naivasha on March 8, 2017. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Meru governor said that it was only county governments that may undertake an exercise to re-categories county health facilities.
- The governors asked the national government "to stop wasting public funds on an exercise that is unconstitutional."
The hostility between the county and national government over categorization of health facilities has resurfaced with governors threatening to go to court over the matter.
On Thursday, the Council of Governors accused the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists board which is a national government agency, of categorizing health facilities without involving county governments.
Chairman Peter Muya said Governors would move to court to stop what he said was an unconstitutional move by the national government. "The council strongly opposes and will not participate in the process by the KMPDB that seeks to categories those facilities," Mr Munya told a news conference at the Naivasha's Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute.
The Meru governor maintained that it was only county governments that may undertake an exercise to re-categories county health facilities.
The board, Mr Munya said, lacked the constitutional mandate to re-categorise any health facilities in counties. "The council wishes to emphasise that the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution gives counties powers and functions relating to health facilities.
"Hence, it is only county governments that may exercise to re-categorise county health facilities," he added.
The governors asked the national government "to stop wasting public funds on an exercise that is unconstitutional," saying they would challenge the unilateral decision in court.
