The government is constructing an eight-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Malindi Sub-County hospital in phase two of the Malindi Integrated Social and Health Development Programme (MISHDP-II).

According to the EAC and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary, Peninah Malonza, the Kes 50 million ICU will serve Kilifi, Tana River, and Lamu Counties.

I am interested in this particular project because during the Covid-19 pandemic when we had quite many emergencies and critical cases, we didn’t have an ICU in Kilifi County. People were being referred all the way from Tana River, Lamu, and Kilifi to Mombasa,” said Malonza.

Speaking during an extensive tour of CDA projects in Mombasa and Kilifi counties, she said the ICU is among other Phase II of infrastructural projects that aims to improve the social and economic development of Malindi and Magarini Sub-Counties in Kilifi in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

Phase two of the project is funded by a concessional loan from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and is implemented by the Coast Development Authority (CDA).

Through the project, the 11.5km Mjanaheri-Ngomeni road will be tarmacked, and a bypass footbridge will be constructed at Burangi.

Students from Ngomeni Secondary, Ngomeni Primary, Burangi Primary, Midodoni Primary and Rasi Primary schools will benefit from modern education facilities with 60 best-performing students at Ngomeni Secondary School awarded bursaries.

“It is because of that and the mandate that CDA has of initiating projects that are going to cover quite many counties and cater to a larger population. They have initiated this project that has been funded by the government of Kenya through a concession loan from the Italian government,” she added.

On his part, PS for Regional Development and ASALs Kello Harsama noted that the government, through the CDA, is addressing problems associated with many years of marginalization and underdevelopment in Kilifi County.

“We have visited schools, communities and we have seen a lot of developmental gaps which we are trying to address through CDA,” he said.

CDA Managing Director (MD) Dr Mohamed Keinan said the needs of the communities determine all the project phases.