Health Principal Secretary (PS) Susan Mochache wants the Public Procurement Regularity Authority (PPRA) to apologize for once again dragging her into the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) saga.
In a letter addressed to PPRA board chairman Andrew Musangi, PS Mochache wants him to set the record straight over the Sh7.8 billion scandal.
“In the circumstances, therefore, I demand that the DG or PPRA itself give an apology and provide the correct facts in order to set the record straight and bare the truth to the public,” the letter reads.
Read: EACC Detectives Raid Kemsa Offices In Irregular Tenders Probe
According to the PS, Mr Musangi gave a false statement when appearing before a senate committee a week ago.
Musangi told the lawmakers that the health ministry official had given orders to KEMSA management with preset prices and companies to procure the medical equipment from.
“There was a letter…by Susan N Mochache, Ministry of Health, instructing the PE to disregard all other requests made in relation to Covid-19 as they had been captured therein, including the list items to be procured, their quantities, prices and firms to be invited,” he said.
“This is irregular because, in the procurement like that done by Kemsa, the MoH should have just referred the matter to Kemsa indicating the items to be procured, quantities, specifications and probably the delivery timeframe and where these items were to be delivered to.”
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But according to Mochache the issue brought forward by the procurement body’s board chair had long been addressed. She also accused him of spreading lies.
“I wish to write to you to register my deepest exception to this glaringly false statement, which the DG made without the courtesy of seeking any explanation or clarification from me,” she said.
“This is despite the fact that I had set the record straight and exhaustively addressed this matter when the CS for Health and I appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Health on September 2, 2020.”
The PS further reiterated that KEMSA acted on its own without her influence.
Read Also: KEMSA Board Chair Kembi Gitura Directed Embattled CEO To Ignore EACC Probe, Award Irregular Tenders
She did however, note that she called for a meeting on “April 6, 2020, with a view to addressing the discrepancies between what the ministries had requisitioned and what Kemsa had ordered.”
“It must be made abundantly clear that my concerns in this matter were solely on the budget and I had no intention to manage or direct the procurement process at Kemsa which is the authority’s sole prerogative.”
Appearing before the senate committee, suspended KEMSA CEO Jonah Manjari also blamed the PS and CS Mutahi Kagwe for the bad procurement decisions.
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