Bomet County officials visit Kirinyaga for benchmarking on healthcare, water services

The delegation, led by County Executive Committee Member for Medical and Health Services, Dr. Joseph Sitonik, toured the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital and the new facility under construction at Kimbimbi Hospital.

Sitonik said the team had been sent by Governor Hillary Bachok to learn how Kirinyaga has managed to transform its healthcare and water sectors.

“This is a benchmarking visit, and you cannot ignore the fact that Kirinyaga is a leader in these sectors. We have learned a lot through this visit and plan to replicate what we have seen and learned in Bomet,” Sitonik added.

He noted that Kirinyaga had significantly improved its health infrastructure and service delivery, making it an ideal destination for benchmarking.

The CEC stated that the team had taken note of how the Kerugoya Medical Complex and its operations were designed with a long-term plan to address future challenges.

“We are in the process of equipping our Mother and Child Hospital in Bomet. We are currently assessing the necessary equipment and fittings, and we plan to invite architects, biomedical engineers, and other experts to help us identify areas we may have overlooked while constructing our facility,” Dr. Sitonik said.

He emphasized the need for counties to work together and collaborate on successful initiatives to strengthen devolution and enhance service delivery across the country.

“Kirinyaga is an example of what devolution has achieved in transforming rural areas that would have been neglected if the centralized system of government was still in place,” Governor Anne Waiguru added.

Bomet CECM for Water, Sanitation, Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, Chepkuto Jepchirchir, said Kirinyaga is one of the rural counties that has successfully addressed water shortages, and Bomet was keen to learn from its successes.

“We are happy as Bomet County that this visit has provided us with answers to some of the challenges related to water provision. Kirinyaga is one of the rural counties that has made significant progress in providing water for both domestic and irrigation purposes,” said Chepkuto.

Speaking during the visit, Kirinyaga CEC for Medical Services, Public Health, and Sanitation, Dr. George Karoki, said the delegation from Bomet was a testament to the health sector transformation in Kirinyaga.

He said the county government has invested heavily in infrastructure and service delivery reforms, resulting in a robust healthcare system that meets the growing demand for modern, high-quality services.

“The opening of the state-of-the-art Medical Complex has elevated Kerugoya County Referral Hospital to a Level Five facility, now offering comprehensive medical services that residents previously had to seek in Nairobi. This has been a game-changer,” he said.

Several other counties, including Turkana, Laikipia, Kiambu, Nyeri, and Tharaka Nithi, have also visited the facility on learning tours.