President Uhuru Kenyatta has given the Ministry of Health 30 days to establish a mechanism for all tenders by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) to be published online for transparency purposes.
“The ministry should come up with a transparent, open method through which tenders done by Kemsa are available online…so that we can see who has awarded the tender and who was evaluated among others,” said the head of state during a virtual Covid-19 conference on Monday.
“This is an issue to all government procurement departments.. we need to work together .. “Kenyan people have a right to know how their funds are being utilised,” he said.
The agency is on the spot over irregular procurement processes that allegedly led to loss of funds donated to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The agency is accused of having procured Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) at a double market price leading to a loss of billions.
Read: Kemsa On The Spot For Procuring PPEs At Double Market Price
Already, KEMSA CEO Jonah Mwangi Manjari, Head of Procurement Charles Juma and Commercial Director Eliud Mureithi have been suspended to pave way for a probe into the fraud allegations.
Last Wednesday, the President gave investigative agencies a 21-day period to complete investigations into the claims of embezzlement of Covid-19 funds.
In his state of the nation address, the President acknowledged that investigations led by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) are ongoing but said they must be expedited due to public interest surrounding the matter.
Today’s virtual conference was organized as part of efforts to reflect on the challenges posed by the pandemic and deliberate on the way forward.
Read Also: Uhuru Orders EACC To Complete Investigations Into Kemsa Scandal Within 21 Days
The meeting was attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Council of Governors Chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya among other leaders.
During the meeting the President also emphasised on the need to focus on mental healthcare as it is a serious concern, especially among the youth.
President Kenyatta called for the utilisation of knowledge gained from the global and national response to Covid-19 in the roll-out of the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.
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