By Reporter
Establishing such a test centre is part of quality assurance, product development and regulatory compliance.
Under Homa Bay Public Health Officers Union, the officers will be able to identify contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, microbial pathogens and allergens in the foods.
Chairman of the union Kennedy Omollo and Secretary General Duncan Odiver argued that the county’s lack of food testing laboratories has been inconveniencing them as they undertake their mandate.
Omollo said the absence of such a laboratory forced them to take food samples to Nakuru and Kisumu counties for testing.
“Establishing a laboratory for food testing will enable the county government to cut costs. I assure Homa Bay residents that we’re ready to effectively discharge our duties,” Omollo said.
Speaking during this year’s annual general meeting in Homa Bay town on Tuesday, Omollo said the availability of a test centre will enhance disease prevention, which is their core mandate.
Water and food samples are taken to Kisumu or Nakuru for testing.
Some of the communicable diseases associated with poor environmental conditions are cholera, dysentery, typhoid and bilharzia among others.
They asked the county government to hire and train more officers in the same cadre to enable them to undertake their duties effectively.
“There is a need for capacity building of the officers on artificial insemination and latest ways of disease prevention. Because prevention is better than cure, Homa Bay public health officers should be empowered,” he said.
Odiver said Homa Bay has only 131 public health officers which is much below the World Health Organization (WHO) required standard.
He wants the county government to expedite and hire at least 400 more officers to meet the WHO standard ratio.
Homa Bay has a population of 1.3 million people. This means that one public health officer should serve at least 6000 people in the county.
Odiver said they want some of their colleagues who have stagnated at the same job group for a long time to get promoted.
“Hiring and training more public health officers will help in bridging the gap for effective operations. We want to improve sanitation and improve the working conditions in Homa Bay,” Odiver said.
Homa Bay Public Service Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruth Aloo said they are consulting the county executive ahead of recruiting more officers.
She acknowledged that the shortage of public health officers is hampering service delivery in Homa Bay.
“Grievances raised by our public health officers are genuine and need urgent attention. The board is talking with the executive to solve the issues,” Aloo said.
