At least 2,700 people in Garissa town have benefited from a free medical camp organised by the MPesa Foundation at the sidelines of the 2026 devolution week.
Speaking after examining the progress of the medical camp, Mpesa Foundation Trustee Amb. Eng. Mahboub Maalim, called for prioritization of the Kenyans’ health, noting that it was only when we have healthy people, we could talk about nation building.
Amb. Maalim further revealed that the Foundation had spent about Sh 1.1 billion for various projects in Garissa County, out of which Sh. 169 million was spent in the county’s health sector.
Maalim said that the Foundation was not a stand-alone organisation in planning and conducting the medical camp but with partnership with other stakeholders, including the Garissa County government and Zuri Health.
“One on the sidelines of the 2026 devolution sensitisation week, we have a whole compound where the Mpesa Foundation has set up a free medical camp. I am very impressed by the work being done here and the numbers of Kenyans who are coming here to seek medical attention,” Amb. Maalim said.
“It is an elaborate support system here for the communities. The number of patients who have been attended to so far is about 2,700, and the team is aiming for at least 3,000 by the close of the day. There is a cross-section of an entire health system here, from dental services to paediatric services to X-ray services, laboratories and even mental services,” he added.
Garissa County Health CECM Ahmednadhir Omar, on his part emphasized on the importance of partnership and collaboration with all stakeholders so as to complement the services offered to the citizens.
Omar underscored the importance of the free medical camp, noting that communities, especially in the pastoralist region, lacked health-seeking behaviours and only came out in large numbers to seek medical attention during the free medical camps.
“We appreciate the good work that is being done here; this is indeed the spirit of service to humanity. In the health building blocks, a very important block is about partnership, and that is what is happening here. This is a true testimony of what collaboration does in the health system,” Omar said.
“Health is a devolved function, but the county government alone, with all the resources that we always get, cannot meet all the demands of the people. We know that health is not a standalone but cuts across all other sectors, and that is why the partnership does not only come with external sources but also within our other sectors in the county government,” he added.
By Erick Kyalo
