Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata has called out on Taifa Leo newspaper over what he termed as irresponsible journalism after misreporting a program he is set to launch in his county.
Kang’ata was irked by the newspaper report titled ‘Gavana wa kulipa Wakaazi wazaane’ which translates to ‘The governor who pays residents reproduce’.
According to him, the report was intended to downplay the actual goal of his program which is aimed at addressing the high rates of maternal and infant mortality rates.
“Irresponsible journalism, that is an immoral trivialize to the intended goal of the program- address maternal and infant mortality rates,” the governor said.
The report stated that any woman who would get pregnant will receive Kshs6000 from the governor in a bid to boost the county’s population.
“Murang’a county will be paying women to get pregnant to increase population in the county which has been decreasing. Governor Kang’ata said every woman who will get pregnant will be awarded Kshs6,000 in a bid to persuade locals to give birth,” part of the report read.
In an interview earlier this week, Kang’ata however said that pregnant women in public hospitals’ maternity wards are the only ones who will benefit from the program. He said that will receive Kshs2,000 two months and a similar a month after birth which will be Kshs6,000 in total.
“We will be supporting pregnant mothers with a stipend of Sh2,000 for the last two months of the pregnancy and the same amount after delivery, to [total] Sh6,000 per pregnancy,” the county boss stated.
“This is a program that seeks to support optimal health and survival of pregnant mothers and their babies,” he added.
He denied claims that the move was intended to boost his political aspirations in the future.
“It is about making our maternal health decent and safe. We have embarked on training health workers so that we can engage expectant mothers during antenatal visits. We must create that rapport with mothers to help them open up. [A] Poor attitude [among] health workers has in the past contributed to risky home deliveries as mothers prefer polite midwives.”
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