MPs WANT GOVERNMENT TO BUY FOR THEM HELICOPTER

MPs now want a helicopter on standby at all times to evacuate them in case of medical emergency.

This comes after the death of Matungu MP Justus Murunga, which was blamed on the lack of oxygen in local hospitals.

His relatives first rushed him to Matungu Sub-county Hospital in Kakamega County, where he was referred to St Mary’s Mission Hospital. His conditioned worsened while shuttling between the two facilities.

Yesterday as MPs eulogized and remembered their fallen friend. The MPs said that their friend would have survived if he had got prompt medical attention.

Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi said the National Assembly should facilitate all MPs to have access to a hotline number for a helicopter to airlift them in case of an emergency for treatment in a good hospital.

“We were requesting — and I have managed to talk to the clerk of the National Assembly about this — that we be given a hotline number to helicopter services just in case,” Mr Wanyonyi said.

Mr Wanyonyi also said there should always a well equipped ambulance in Nairobi on standby in case any member of parliament falls sick.

He pointed out that the fact that Mr Murunga’s family spent 30 minutes to get to the nearest well-equipped facility is an indication that there is an underlying problem which should be addressed.

The MPs said county hospitals must be well-equipped so as to deal with the surging Covid-19 numbers. The National Assembly is also considering suspending indefinitely all committee meetings in hotels to prevent spread of Covid-19 among MPs.

Majority Speaker, said that the MPs should stop meeting in hotels.

“Mr Speaker, we need to check whether it is necessary to take our members to hotels because we could be exposing them without knowing.”

“We need your guidance Mr Speaker because we don’t want to risk the lives of our members,” Mr Kimunya said.