By The Anchor Writer
Governor Wavinya Ndeti's management intrigues heralded the departure of her ultra loyalist minister- Dr. Daniel Yumbya late on Thursday.
The Anchor can now reveal that Dr Yumbya read writings on the wall hours after the ouster of Chief of Staff Mr. Lawrence Ngovi last week.
It is the culmination of a scathing, dramatic power struggle that now leaves Governor Ndeti, her Finance Minister Onesmus Kuyu and her son- Charles Nzuki he who has no official role but is an all too powerful lad and a permanent attendee to cabinet meetings- in the middle of the theatre.
On Thursday last week, Yumbya got classified information that the Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi had been assigned by Governor Wavinya to sniff around the Department of Health.
Come Friday, and to Yumbya's disbelief, the DG wrote an invitation to all hospital administrators, county medical officers, and medical superintendents for a meeting on Thursday this week.
The letter was copied to Yumbya and his three chief officers. The same day, an Acting Chief officer Eng Gregory Nthenge (who has not been vetted by the county assembly) was named at Roads docket to enable medical chief officer Justus Kasivu to concentrate on one job at the ministry of health. He was acting as CO roads.
On Friday, Yumbya packed his personal effects in cartons in readiness to ship out.
Yumbya presumed that the breach of protocol in the invitations to a meeting in his department was one of the many goofs he had witnessed in the county.
He, together with the COs, arrived early for the meeting.
But as the meeting opened, with Mr Mwangangi making his 'climate setting' remarks, he asked Dr Yumbya and his COs to step out of the meeting.
The meeting immediately went into a daggers- drawn mode and wobbled into the afternoon.
During this time,Yumbya, a man who hardly drops fights, told a friend he can not wait to be sacrificed when EACC comes knocking(See attached screen shot).
The DG's bold step to expell the minister, he explained, was to facilitate transparency, allowing medical practitioners to voice their concerns directly to him.
This unprecedented move was designed, besides unearthing the root causes of the challenges besetting the health department, including malfunctioning mortuaries, a severe lack of medical equipment, insufficient medicine supplies, demoralized staff, and the closure of intensive care units (ICUs), it targeted cutting Dr Yumbya to size by humiliating him infront of a team he never quite listened to.
The sudden resignation of Dr. Yumbya brings to light deeper systemic issues within the health department. It underscores the need for robust oversight, accountability, and a culture of transparency within the county's administration. Moving forward, it will be crucial for Governor Ndeti and her team to implement stringent measures to prevent such a crisis from recurring and to rebuild trust within the healthcare system.
The county's leadership must prioritize the recruitment of competent and committed professionals to fill the vacated positions and ensure that the health department is equipped with the necessary resources and support. The well-being of Machakos County's residents hinges on the swift and effective resolution of this healthcare crisis.
