Open in app Sign up Sign in Write Sign up Sign in ![\\"\\"](\\" # FALSE: Makueni has not spent all of its development funding on one hospital ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" PesaCheck · Follow Published in PesaCheck · 5 min read · Dec 20, 2018 \-- Listen Share ![\\"\\"](\\" A Facebook post claiming that Makueni Governor Professor Kivutha Kibwana has spent all of his county’s development funds on one project — constructing the Makueni County Mother and Child Hospital — leaving no money for other projects in the county, is false. The post by Sospeter Kipchumba Kirwa reads: > Makueni County are now paying for the poor strategy, lack of planners and > shallow minds. > > After their Governor channelling all the funds to one project, the roads > heading to that hospital is impassable. #FanyeniHesabu (Do the math). The accompanying pictures include that of the newly built Makueni Mother and Child Hospital in Wote, a muddy road, and three others showing vehicles stuck in the mud. ![\\"\\"](\\" The images used in the post do appear to be from Makueni, with a reverse image search showing that they are apparently from the Emali-Kithumani trunk road. These images were posted on Twitter on 11 December, five days after the hospital was officially opened on 6 December 2018 by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. This post got the attention of Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, who responded saying that Makueni constituency MP Daniel Maanzo, in whose constituency the photos appear to have been taken, would look into the matter. However, the claim that the governor used all of his county’s development funds on this one project is false. According to the 2016/17 Makueni County budget, the county received KES 1.527 billion for healthcare. Out of this, KES 122 million, or about 8% of the healthcare budget, was spent on the construction of the Makueni County Mother and Child Hospital. The 200-bed Mother and Child Hospital will provide consultation services such as gynecological, obstetric, neonatal consultation services, antenatal wards, a phototherapy unit, and an ultramodern newborn unit with a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The hospital was the subject of much national debate, with many comparing the relatively low amount that was spent to build such a facility with other counties that have spent higher amounts with much less to show for it. The Makueni County Projects Management System shows that a total of 2,015 county projects are in different stages of the project-cycle with water — and not health — taking the highest budget allocation and absorption since the beginning of financial year 2013/2014 to date. There are 614 water projects at various stages of completion in the county, costing Sh602 million in expenditure out of the Ksh2.8 billion allocated to the department. Health comes second at Ksh1.44 billion allocation and Ksh1.15 billion in expenditure. Additionally, in 2016/17, the county spent KES 632 million, equivalent to 41 percent of the total health budget, on constructing and upgrading several health facilities. These include 64 new model dispensaries, 7 health facilities rehabilitated and made operational, 30 laboratories, 16 staff houses and completion of 15 dispensaries. A total of 81 county health centers and dispensaries were upgraded. PesaCheck has looked into the claim that “Makueni governor spent all the county development funds to build a hospital” and finds it to be FALSE. This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as _potential misinformation_ on Facebook and other social media platforms. By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds. Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook?Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content. ![\\"\\"](\\" This fact-check was written by PesaCheck researcher _James Okong’o_, was edited by PesaCheck project manager for editorial and verification initiatives _Stellar Murumba_, and was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor _Eric Mugendi_. ![\\"\\"](\\" PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by _Catherine Gicheru_ and _Justin Arenstein_, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: _Code for Africa_. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. _PesaCheck_also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit _pesacheck.org_ _._ ![\\"\\"](\\" ng.png\\") Follow Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Like Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Email Us PesaCheck is a joint initiative of _Code for Africa_, through its _innovateAFRICA fund_, with additional funding support from the _International Budget Partnership (Kenya)_ and _Twaweza_, in partnership with a coalition of local media organisations, and the _International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)_. ![](\\" ## Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world. ## Free Distraction-free reading. No ads. 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Makueni Governor spends all development funds in one hospital project