By Betty Luke
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s last Thursday’s Isiolo tour program was shockingly readjusted with the Head of State only unveiling the Isiolo military regional Level 4 hospital at 78 Tank Battalion.
The President according to initial program was to also launch telemedicine at the Isiolo Referral Hospital and undertake groundbreaking for a multibillion Isiolo-Modogashe-Mandera road but the two tasks were cancelled days to the visit.
Telemedicine is a technology that enables patients visiting health facilities at remote areas get diagnosed and treated by doctors at the Sub-County and Referral hospitals online saving time and costs for referral services.
Mr Kenyatta was to unveil the program in October last year but the visit was postponed in what is believed to have been prompted by then protests that were witnessed during Raila Odinga’s tour of the region to popularise Azimio la Umoja.
Days to the then planned visit, there were reports of planned protests and security organs allegedly feared that similar incident could happen during the President’s visit that was scheduled two days after Mr Odinga’s visit.
At the meeting, Governor Mohammed Kuti was booed and forced to cut short his speech after heckling groups demanded that he hands over the microphone to his predecessor Godana Doyo who will be seeking a comeback in 2022 general elections.
A section of the youths after the October 17 incident, threatened to embarass Governor Kuti in event the President visited which sources said could have also contributed to the suspension of the visit.
Senior government officials however insisted that the postponement was to allow the President adequate time to prepare for the then coming Mashujaa Day celebrations that were done in Kirinyaga.
Before Mr Odinga’s visit, some of the elected leaders, in a video, were seen arguing over the day’s program as they waited the former Prime Minister to land at Isiolo International Airport.
It was also feared that the differences could have played out during the Head of State’s visit.
The happenings at the hospital before Mr Kenyatta’s year’s visit on April 7, The Press Point is informed contributed to the suspension of the telemedicine launch.
Dozens of casual workers at the hospital had downed their tools over delayed pay leaving the hospital in pathetic state with some of the services disrupted.
Top county health officials facilitated thorough cleanup of the hospital two days to the President’s visit but little did they know that Mr Kenyatta had already resolved that he would not tour the hospital.
A senior government official privy to the matter told The Press Point that the hospital visit would have been mockery to the workers who were lamenting over delayed pay.
“The hospital has a lot of issues and the workers have not been paid. That is why it was cancelled to rid the President of the embarassment,” the official said.
The launch of the road is said to have been postponed because contractors had not established a site station by the time the President was visiting.
