Anti-corruption committee have carried out a social audit at Kowino Health Centre in Nyalenda to assess the use of a newly built maternity wing and its impact on residents.
The National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee (NACCSC), the Kisumu County Anti-Corruption Civilian Oversight Committee and county government officials visited the facility to assess whether the investment was benefiting the community.
The health centre serves an estimated 10,000 people in the surrounding area.
The maternity wing, built by the Kisumu County Government at a reported cost of Sh 10.2million started offering services on 1 April.
Truposa Achar, a director at NACCSC, said the audit was intended to establish whether the facility was being used by the people it was built to serve.
“We are here to see how the facility is being used by the intended public,” Achar said.
The exercise also allowed residents to raise concerns and give feedback on the services provided at the health centre.
Emily Omedo, the officer in charge, said the opening of the maternity wing had led to an increase in the number of women attending antenatal clinics.
“With the introduction of the maternity wing, the antenatal clinic has also improved because the community is now aware where there is maternity,” she said.
She said the facility had also reduced the number of patients being referred to Kisumu County Referral Hospital and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The maternity unit has so far handled five deliveries, while one woman was referred to another facility after developing complications, Omedo said.
Grace Jobita, chairperson of the Kisumu County Anti-Corruption Civilian Oversight Committee, said social audits helped communities understand government investments and take part in monitoring public projects.
“One of the main reasons why we conduct social audits is to ensure that the community is aware of the investment that either the county government or the national government has put into every project,” she said.
She urged residents to participate in projects from the planning stage through implementation to ensure they addressed community needs.
Dr Felix Komu of NACCSC called on members of the public to monitor government projects and report suspected corruption.
“We are asking the people to ask questions, to get a report on what is going on in their counties,” he said.
He said corruption concerns could be reported to county anti-corruption oversight committees, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) or the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The committees said similar social audits would be carried out in other parts of Kenya as part of efforts to promote public participation, accountability and oversight of government-funded projects.
Residents welcomed the maternity services but raised concerns they said they hoped county officials would address following the audit.
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