Ruto vows to ensure devolution succeeds

By Peter Ochieng 

President William Ruto on Monday assured the country that devolution will not slumber nor die under his watch.

Speaking at Uhuru Park, Nairobi while flagging off kits for Community Health Promoters (CHP), Ruto said devolution is here to stay, adding that county governments are playing a critical role in service delivery across various sectors, among them health and agriculture.

He said he will not allow himself to go down in history as the person who killed devolution.

"I have no intention whatsoever of killing devolution. Take it from me. Counties have done a good job in delivering health services as compared to when the national government was providing the services," said the Head of State.

"My responsibility is to ensure that counties and Kenya succeeds," Ruto added.

The government has enlisted 100,000 community health promoters, in a bid to ensure delivery of primary health care to Kenyans across the country.

Ruto said they will be given a stipend each month, which will come on time, besides ensuring that their kits are replenished frequently.

They will be deployed across the country after the launch of Universal Health Care (UHC) programme during Mashujaa day celebrations, on October 20th, 2023.

Their roles will include sensitize the community on the importance of healthy lifestyles and quality health services, provide community disease surveillance by reporting early signs of imminent health disasters or emergencies, enroll and monitor the health status of members of the households assigned to the community health promoter and keep and maintain a record of members in all households assigned to the community health promoter.

Others are monitor the rehabilitation and integration of persons who require such services in the community, render first aid services to an assigned household and where necessary, make referrals to the link facility, provide support to the assigned household on quality family-based care and support for a patient, submit a report at such intervals as shall be determined by the county director of health, on the health of each member of an assigned household and the barriers to health and health care in the household to the community health officer, collect information on the health status of the assigned households and report incidences of side effects of drugs.