Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has raised concerns over the state of public services and facilities in Machakos County following visits to Machakos Level 5 Hospital and the deteriorating Machakos People’s Park. 
By Fredrick Kioko,
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has raised concerns over the state of public services and facilities in Machakos County following visits to Machakos Level 5 Hospital and the deteriorating Machakos People’s Park.
During his visit to the county referral hospital, Mutua interacted with patients who raised concerns over shortages of essential medicines and other services. Some patients said they were struggling to access prescribed drugs, prompting questions over the availability of essential medicines at the facility.
Mutua later toured the 40-acre Machakos People’s Park, where he expressed disappointment over its condition, saying the facility had deteriorated despite being established using public resources during his tenure as governor.
“It breaks my heart to see a facility that was built with public resources allowed to deteriorate,” Mutua said, while pointing to the overgrown vegetation at the park.
In a pointed criticism of the facility’s current state, Mutua sarcastically referred to it as having changed “from People’s Park to Snake Park.”
He challenged Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s administration to take action and restore the park, saying that if the county government could not maintain it, he should be given a week to return the facility to its former condition.
Residents and visitors, including Stanley Muli and John Kuheria, also voiced their dissatisfaction with the condition of the park, accusing the county administration of neglecting a facility built for public use.
Mutua’s visit has renewed attention on the management and maintenance of public facilities in Machakos, particularly essential health services and development projects established under previous administrations.
