Departments

Makueni ECM in charge of Health Services, Joyce Mutua, on Wednesday conducted an unannounced visit to Mbooni Sub-County Hospital to evaluate the facility’s service delivery and inspect progress on the construction of a new modern emergency and family hospital.

During the visit, the ECM interacted with patients seeking medical care and took note of ongoing operations within the hospital.

She expressed satisfaction with the pace of construction, noting that the upcoming facility—expected to be completed later this year—will significantly enhance emergency response capacity and improve overall healthcare services for residents of Mbooni and surrounding areas.

The visit also reaffirmed the department’s commitment to strengthening healthcare systems across the county.

She emphasized her dedication to supporting Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.’s vision of accessible and quality healthcare for all Makueni residents.

Healthcare workers from Level 2 and 3 health facilities are gathering at the One Mother and Child Hospital for a sensitization forum aimed at reducing neonatal deaths in the county.

The forum also seeks to address and dispel harmful myths surrounding unsafe health practices, such as the dangerous tradition of gum cutting, in an effort to promote healthier health-seeking behaviors.

The five-day forum was officially inaugurated by Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili and County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, Joyce Mutua.

As part of its commitment to improving maternal and child health, the Department is implementing a range of initiatives, including neonatal death audits, comprehensive capacity-building programs for healthcare workers, and the weekly Maternal Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) system .

This is to track and address preventable deaths. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to foster change and reduce neonatal mortality rates across the county.

For two decades, Leah Kitheka, now 63, carried out the painful traditional practice of gum cutting on children in her Sub Location of Mbui Nzau. With roughly 150 children subjected to the harmful procedure under her hands, Leah once believed she was offering help. Today, she is on a mission to right the wrong.

Driven by awareness and remorse, Leah now moves from home to home, urging mothers to seek medical care for teething issues instead of resorting to unsafe traditional methods.

Leah is among several reformed gum cutters empowered by the Makueni County Government to become champions of child health and protect future generations from the trauma she once inflicted.

On Thursday, Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili led a powerful forum at Kibwezi Sub-County Hospital, bringing together over 500 young women including pregnant mothers, community health promoters, and former gum cutters for a sensitization session aimed at ending gum cutting for good.

Mulili also announced plans to introduce a county policy that will outlaw the brutal practice ,often carried out using sharp objects like nails, razor blades, and bicycle spokes, and promote safer healthcare interventions for infants.

To support the reformed cutters in their new journey, Mulili presented them with 100 one-week-old chicks and poultry feed for two months ,a small but meaningful step toward helping them build alternative livelihoods and continue being voices of transformation in their villages.