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It is exactly ten and half years since the advent of devolution yet Nairobi has already had four Governors.We can’t forget that during this period,we have also witnessed the creation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services to run the city.
Looking down the memory lane,one of tempted to rank Nairobi’s best governor from Dr.Evans Kidero,Mike Sonko,Ann Kananu and now Johnson Sakaja.I leafed through my journal and stampled at the various achievements especially in the health sector and I am persuaded that Mike Sonko mark stands out ahead of the rest.
My down memory lane revision took me back to an unfortunate incident where a mother in labor pains was helplessly left to deliver outside the Pumwani Maternity Hospital and everyone was quick to make biased assumptions and conclusions.
Those who are familiar with the Pumwani facility and have consistently visited it atleast for the last ten years will admit that indeed it’s a facility that has undergone massive upgrade activities .
First of all, the facility was kitted with multi-purpose machines to improve maternal care.
The machines, which were installed, include 10 warmers and resuscitators for the newborns. The machines are being used to offer respiratory support to newborns with breathing problems.
This was a milestone achievement considering 80-100 babies are delivered at Pumwani Maternity Hospital every day, with a number of them having complications at birth.However,it is estimated that the delivery rate has improved in the last one year due to installation of these machines and deployment of more personnel.
The machines also provide phototherapy for jaundice, a condition of yellowness on the bodies of some new babies.
Another key achievement that Sonko promised and delivered is the opening of a new outpatient wing at the facility.
To date,their is no any other major change at the facility and this is four years down the line with new look Pumwani Maternity Hospital that boasts of extra beds,an outpatient wing and the first ever Human Milk Bank at the facility thriving.
This was seen as major frontier in saving human lives.At Mama Lucy, Sonko helped complete within two years ,a 67- bed capacity new wing, installed a queue management system to ease congestion as well as opening a new TB centre at the facility.
The same can be said of Mbagathi Hospital which is helped serve as a major confinement and isolation centre during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sonko also set precedence in the housing sector, with the ground breaking of the the first affordable housing project in the Jeevanjee Bachelor Estate.He is was the first governor to start the implementation of the affordable housing project.
In terms of opening of sewer lines and improving water connectivity,Sonko had earmarked areas of great concern and consistently reached to the state to help in dealing with cartels who have perennially raked millions from the the garbage menace.
Sonko’s mark of quality that defines his tenure is all over and we haven’t mentioned the Dandora Stadium,the recovery of grabbed land the wonderful job he did to transform Luthuli lane downtown.
Apart from the Dandora stadium,Sonko had already done the ground breaking of the Kangemi Kihumbuini ( Westlands) Stadium,he was to upgrade the Woodley Kibera Stadium, another one in Ziwani Karoo Kor and Muuru Mushiri in Ruai.All these projects had been budgeted for under the Youth and Sports Development program.
These programs were abandoned when Sonko left but the spirit and desire that came with it still lingers in the memories and annals of our history in Nairobi.
Sonko may have had his shortcomings but clearly,his stretch marks are still written all over.All these,just down the memory lane though.
