Senators have accused Kitui County of mismanaging hospitals after finding expired drugs, irregular casual hiring and an illegal board at Tseikuru Hospital, raising serious questions over health sector oversight.
Senators on Tuesday expressed shock after learning that hospitals in Kitui County were storing expired medical supplies—some dating back to 2020—and operating without properly constituted boards.
Appearing before the Senate County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee, Kitui Governor Julius Malombe struggled to account for what senators described as systemic failures across major county hospitals, prompting accusations of mismanagement and negligence.
The inquiry, informed by the Auditor General’s 2024/2025 reports, covered Kitui Referral, Mwingi Level 4, Tseikuru, Mutomo, and Ikanga hospitals.
Nominated Senator George Mbugua asked the Governor to state the value of the expired supplies, but Malombe requested additional time to conduct a full valuation.
The Governor attributed the expired drugs to short-dated Covid-19 donations, adding that the county had already collected the stock and planned to destroy it once a new incinerator is installed.
Senators also raised concerns over the irregular engagement of casual workers and broader oversight failures that have left critical medical equipment idle.
Committee Chair Senator Godfrey Osotsi condemned the practice, stating, “Engagement of casual workers is the most abused process,” and demanded precise figures to rule out the existence of “ghost workers.”
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua criticised the use of long-term casual contracts, describing them as exploitative.
“Why overwork them for peanuts? If there is a need, employ them permanently? True casual engagement is daily pay for daily work, not the three-month stretches captured here,” he said.
In his response, Governor Malombe defended the temporary engagements as a necessary measure during strikes by doctors and nurses.
“We engaged them to ensure patients did not suffer. To correct this, we have developed the Kitui County Temporary Workers Engagement Policy 2025, which currently awaits Assembly approval,” he said.
Tseikuru Sub-County Hospital attracted the strongest criticism after senators established that it had been operating without a legally constituted board of management. They noted that the hospital’s financial statements had been submitted to the Auditor General without the mandatory signature of a board chairperson.
Malombe told the committee that a new board was gazetted on May 25, 2025, and that the outgoing board continued to hold quarterly meetings to oversee operations in the interim.
Senators rejected this explanation.
“Governor, this is a blatant violation of the law. How can an illegal board sit, run affairs and presumably draw allowances?” Senator Osotsi asked.
