Hooligans vandalise health centre serving 17,000 residents

By Joseph Wanzusi

BUDADIRI - Over 40 health workers have deserted Budadiri Health Centre IV after a mob descended on the facility destroying property worth millions of shillings in Budadiri Town Council, Sironko district.

According to Sironko resident district commissioner (RDC) Moses Wamoto Kigai, trouble started Friday evening when the interdicted in-charge of the health centre Dr. Joseph Otuko brought a vehicle to carry away his personal belongings from the staff quarters.

“I received a telephone call in the night about the incident and immediately mobilized security personnel to rush to the scene where we found total chaos with wards abandoned and health centre facilities destroyed,” the RDC said.

“A mob that was reportedly protesting the departure of the embattled medical officer descended on the health unit destroying the gate, sign post, setting fire to the staff quarters, smashing ward window panes and burning a huge plastic water tank,” Kigai said.

The RDC told New Vision that several health workers had to run for their dear lives as a mob destroyed banana plantations belonging to the health workers and set patients’ mattresses on fire before the Police dispersed them with teargas.  

The interdicted medical officer suspended from work by the district chief administrative officer Joseph Lomongin over several allegations including lack of a valid medical practicing license and being a drug addict had continued going to the workplace while serving the suspension, Kigai added.

Sources in the town council say heavily armed Police personnel commanded by the Elgon region Police commander James Ruhweza pitched camp at the health centre to avert further destruction of the health facility whose laboratory was recently rehabilitated with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Another source at the district health department who condemned the mob action said the health facility that has been serving as a sub- district hospital had a workforce of 47 health workers serving a catchment area of about 17,000 people in 21 sub-counties and two town councils.

The source said the health facility will not function until the situation normalizes since all the health workers have fled the station.

Budadiri Town Council chairperson Francis Maniaku appealed for sanity so that no more public and health workers’ property at the health centre is destroyed.

Maniaku said the situation around the health centre was by Saturday afternoon still volatile as hooligans had continued hanging around the facility but hastened to add that the Police had tightened security to keep the mob at bay.
 

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