PS Peter Tum Denies Involvement in Mosquito Net Scam

Principal Secretary for Sports Peter Tum has denied any involvement in the bungled mosquito net procurement deal at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa).

Appearing before a Senate Committee, PS Tum said the agency was not on his docket.

According to Tum, who worked as PS for the State Department of Medical Services, the mosquito net deal was under the State Department for Public Health and Standards.

Tum spoke in support of the January Executive Order, which transferred malaria management to the Public Health Department under Josephine Mburu at the time.

Read: I Learned of My Sacking Through the Media – Former PS Josephine Mburu

“State Department of Public Health and Standards is responsible for handling Malaria and TB matters while my department handled HIV matters,” Tum told the Health committee led by Jackson Mandago.

“The planning and coordination was done by the State Department of Public Health.”

The botched anti-Malaria nets deal cost the Ministry of Health Sh3.7 billion donated by the Global Fund.

Last month, former PS Mburu told the committee that the dismissal caught her off guard.

“At first, I was shocked… when I was told I was sacked it caught me unaware. Everything that happened came as a shocker, everything that was said on the media came as a shocker,” she said.

Read Also: Kemsa Set To Sack 200 Employees From July 1

Dr Mburu asserted that she was not involved in the procurement process and that it had already started when she took office.

“I believe the staff advised me to the best of my ability, but I was not involved when the advert was put out, the head of malaria came in and told me there was an omission, the letter did not stop the process, it didn’t interfere with any process, and because KEMSA is not under Josephine they did not come back to me,” she said.

She also told the legislators that Medical Supplies department was under PS Peter Tum by the time of the bungled tender.

“KEMSA is under medical services where Tum was in charge. I have no control over whatever happens in KEMSA,” she continued.

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