- Due to increased demand when Kenya first recorded positive Covid-19 cases in March 2020, Kemsa purchased the consignment at a higher price.
- Kemsa is claimed to have bought N95 (1860) masks for Sh1,300 each, compared to Sh700 on the market. It placed an order for 5,000 pieces.
A legislative committee heard Monday that personal protective equipment worth Sh790 million stored by the national medical supplier had expired.
The expired PPE items are part of the Sh5.4 billion worth of equipment that the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) procured but has remained at its stores to date, according to Mr. Edward Njoroge, the acting CEO of Kemsa, who told the National Assembly Committee on Health yesterday.
Mr. Njoroge told MPs that the commodities had expired and that Kemsa was still waiting for Cabinet authorization to sell them at current market pricing.
“We discovered that products worth Sh790 million had expired after gaining Cabinet authorization to dispose of the PPEs.” But we’re looking into it to see if some of the goods can still be used,” Mr. Njoroge explained.
An overall, gloves, a face shield, and shoe covers are all included in a comprehensive PPE kit. Mr. Njoroge said the agency was looking into salvaging and repurposing some of the products.
When Kenya first recorded positive Covid-19 cases in March 2020, Kemsa purchased the shipment at a premium price because of the great demand.
Kemsa is said to have procured N95 (1860) masks at Sh1,300 apiece against the market price of Sh700. It ordered 5,000 pieces.
It paid Sh700 for each KN95 mask, compared to Sh450 on the market. It received 1,836,400 masks, with disposable masks costing Sh90 each, compared to Sh50 on the market.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is also looking into the purchase of the PPE (EACC).
From the original Sh7.6 billion in procurements, Kemsa now has stock worth Sh5.4 billion. This comes after the EACC halted the process after stock worth Sh2.2 billion was sold.
Kemsa has paid Covid-19 billionaires Sh4.7 billion so far, but it still owes other suppliers Sh2.9 billion.
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