Bomet County officials have embarked on a benchmarking mission in Kirinyaga County to learn from its success in the healthcare and water sectors. The delegation, led by County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Medical and Health Services Dr. Joseph Sitonik, visited key medical facilities, including the state-of-the-art Kerugoya County Referral Hospital and the upcoming medical complex at Kimbimbi Hospital.
Dr. Sitonik stated that Governor Hillary Bachok had sent the team to Kirinyaga to gain insights into how the county has managed to transform these critical sectors. He noted that Kirinyaga has set the pace in health infrastructure and service delivery, making it an ideal county for benchmarking.
“This is a benchmark visit, and you cannot hide the fact that Kirinyaga is actually 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,” said Dr. Sitonik.
He explained that the Kerugoya Medical Complex has been designed with a long-term vision to address future healthcare challenges. The Bomet delegation took note of the facility’s structure, equipment, and management system, which have significantly improved healthcare services in Kirinyaga.
Dr. Sitonik also revealed that Bomet is in the process of equipping its Mother and Child Hospital and is keen on adopting best practices observed in Kirinyaga. “We are at a phase where we are determining the necessary equipment and fittings for our facility. We plan to invite experts, including an architect, biomedical engineer, and CEC officials, to guide us on areas we need to consider while building our hospital,” he added.
The benchmarking visit also focused on water services, an area in which Kirinyaga has made remarkable progress. Kirinyaga County has implemented innovative solutions to ensure residents have access to clean and reliable water. The delegation studied these initiatives with the goal of improving water accessibility in Bomet.
Dr. Sitonik emphasized the need for counties to collaborate and share knowledge on successful projects. He highlighted that devolution is most effective when counties learn from each other and implement strategies that have been proven to work elsewhere.
“As counties, we must work together to strengthen devolution and enhance service delivery to our people. Learning from successful models like Kirinyaga will help us improve healthcare and water services in Bomet,” he concluded.
The visit marks a significant step towards fostering inter-county cooperation and improving service delivery in line with Kenya’s devolution goals.
