Kemsa has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons after it emerged that irregularities by some senior officials saw the authority inflate its expenditure by up to Sh7.8 billion.
With the overpriced commodities stuck at the Kemsa stores and the nation well on its recovery route from the devastating pandemic that has slain 700 Kenyans so far, Kemsa is at a loss on what to do with the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
Should Kemsa sell the PPEs at the current market price, taxpayers will still lose a whooping Sh2.3 billion, a fact confirmed by the Auditor General, Ms Nancy Gathungu, when she presented a special audit report on the utilisation of the Covid-19 funds by Kemsa to the Senate on September 30.
Besides inflating the commodities’ prices, Ms Gathungu faulted Kemsa for failing to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of the Covid-19 purchases, leaving it stuck with stocks worth about Sh6.34 billion in its warehouses.
The Auditor General said 97 per cent of the Covid-19-related stocks have been lying in the Kemsa warehouses for more than three months, suggesting inadequate market forecasting and planning by the managers of the state agency.
“By irregularly procuring items valued at Sh7,632,068,588 under Universal Health Care (UHC) and capital budgets without requisite approvals, the accounting officer and the management of Kemsa violated Section 68 (1) of the Public Financial Management Act,” Ms Gathungu said.
President Uhuru had ordered investigations into the multi billion scam that has since emerged that ministry officials, politicians and their emissaries were involved in the heist.
It was expected that those mentioned adversely in the allegations of irregular payments relating to the purchase and supply of Covid-19 emergency equipment at Kemsa would be charged speedily.
However, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority’s officials involved in the Covid-19 multibillion-shilling scandal will not be taken to court soon after the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji returned the inquiry files back to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
It has emerged that businessmen and politicians involved in the deals were suspected to have been shielded for prosecution a matter that pushed for inclusion of other names.
Businessmen like Richard Ngatia have been fingered in the scam, politicians and party officials such as Jubilee vice chairman David Murathe has been questioned in the scam, ODM’s Junet Mohammed has also been adversely mentioned in the corridors has having been a beneficiary.
Kesses MP Mishra was also a beneficiary of the Kemsa loot.
An impeccable source has revealed to Nairobi Exposed that Wiper Party’s Stephen Muli whose the member of parliament for Matungulu also did business with the government in procuring COVID-19 testing machines for rapid testing.
There's no story that cannot be told. We cover the stories that others don't want to be told, we bring you all the news you need. If you have tips, exposes or any story you need to be told bluntly and all queries write to us [email protected] also find us on Telegram
