Journalist records statement after medical officer threat

A Kakamega-based journalist has recorded a statement with the police following death threats on his life.

Douglas Dindi (pictured), a reporter with the People Daily, told the police that his life was in danger.

Dindi reported the death threats at the Kakamega Central Police Station on Monday evening.

He said yesterday that the Kakamega County Chief Officer for Medical Services David Alila threatened him when he sought his comments on reported deaths of a mother and her newborn baby at a public health facility in Matungu Constituency.

Alila allegedly charged at and threatened to kill Dindi if he dared publish the story, before physically dragging out of his office in Kakamega town. The mother and infant died on Friday last week at Lung’anyiro Health Centre due to birth-related complications and lack of a standby ambulance to transfer him to a referral hospital.

Kenya Red Cross, which was contracted by the county government to render patient ambulance services across the county since 2013, is reported to have withdrawn from the deal last month in protest over alleged non-payment of an over Sh70 million bill dating back to the last financial year. Angry MCAs and the family of the deceased voiced concerns and attributed the death to lack of ambulance services yet funds were budgeted to cater for the same. They also accused Alila of running down the health sector.

But when asked  for comment on the death and ambulance saga on Monday, Alila lost his cool, ranted and accused  Dindi of seeking the comment so as to cast the County Governor Fernandes Barasa in bad light. “Why are you following me? You have written a bad report that Barasa is ditching ODM. Do you know I am an appointee of the governor? You do not know me yet. I am a thug. I command the underworld. I will kill you.  Let us meet out there and I will kill you,” Alila thundered, according to Dindi.

He reportedly further accused the reporter of being used by Senator Boni Khalwale to discredit Governor Barasa’s administration.

He dared the reporter to publish the story on the mother and child’s death “if he was a real man”.