Twenty-one patients succumbed to Covid-19 in Kenya in the last 24 hours, the Health ministry has said.
The statistics from Health CS Mutahi Kagwe (pictured) show the national caseload is now at 153,488 after 965 people tested positive for Covid-19.
From the batch, 58 were foreigners and 907 were Kenyans. The figures also showed 560 of those who tested positive were men against 405 women.
The youngest was a three-month-old infant while the oldest was aged 101.
Positive cases from the 7,311 sample size push the country’s positivity rate to 13.2 per cent. The cumulative tests are now 1,618,990.
Nairobi continued to lead in the new cases, with 330, followed by 67 in Mombasa, Nakuru 63 and Kericho 45, among others.
Some 1,441 patients recovered, pushing the recoveries tally to 105,279. This comes as the total deaths now stand at 2,540.
There are 1,509 patients currently admitted with Covid-19 across the country.
According to the Health CS, some 750,471 Kenyans have been vaccinated todate, 146,091 of whom are healthcare workers.
Meanwhile, several governors and top county officials are in the crosshairs of investigative agencies over alleged misappropriation of Sh7.7 billion Covid-19 funds.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, in a special audit has recommended that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) launch probe into the matter.
The report has exposed widespread violation of procurement laws and revealed how some counties awarded contracts to non-prequalified bidders while others spent millions of shillings in procuring Covid-19 items without valid contracts.
Other counties spent millions of shillings in procuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) without conducting a market survey.
A review of the dispatch from Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and records by the counties established inconsistencies between the quantities supplied by the agency and those received by the counties.
Counties cited for this anomaly include Bomet, Elgeyo Marakwet, Embu, Kakamega, Kericho, Nandi, Narok and Nyeri.
Acts of criminality
“It is recommended that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Directorate of the Criminal Investigations conduct further investigations to establish acts of criminality in inventory management of the Covid-19 related items,” recommends the report.
Bomet, Bungoma, Elgeyo Marakwet, Homabay, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kitui, Laikipia, Migori, Nandi, Samburu, Wajir and West Pokot counties are also in a spot for “inadequate record-keeping.”
The report says there was a likelihood that the ledger cards were prepared for the purpose of the audit and recommends that EACC and DCI launch probe to establish acts of criminality in inventory management of the Covid-19 related items.
