This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 2, 2020, the principal secretary for Health wrote to Taita-Taveta county acknowledging that Mwatate sub-county was an appropriate site for installing five ventilators donated by the national government to fight Covid-19. The ventilators were requested by Governor Granton Samboja to support the county's efforts in dealing with coronavirus cases.
According to sources at the county government, the ventilator supply was delivered after Governor Samboja wrote to the cabinet secretary for Health, Mutahi Kagwe, requesting for additional support for equipment and material to fight Covid-19.
However, the decision to install the ventilators in Mwatate has been met with opposition from area MP Naomi Shaban, who claims that the move is driven by malice and favoritism. Shaban, who is allied to William Ruto, argues that the ventilators should be installed in health facilities in Taveta sub-county, citing the region's vulnerability to Covid-19 cases.
Rekeke Health Centre in Taveta is the main isolation centre, and there have been grumbles from a section of residents in Taveta sub-county who felt the region was not getting government support to deal with coronavirus cases.
