Mudavadi queries Sh35b lease scheme

Amani National Congress(ANC) has accused the government of another Sh35 billion scandal in the health ministry.

Party leader Musalia Mudavadi claims that the government  forced county governments to pay for medical equipment that were never delivered or are lying idle for lack of personnel to operate them.

Mudavadi called for a forensic audit of a medical equipment leasing scheme in which county governments are compelled to pay Sh5billion per year for seven years, alleging that cartels within the national government forced the policy on devolved governments for personal gain.

In the leasing scheme launched in 2014, county governments signed agreements with the national government to have two hospitals each equipped with imaging, dialysis, theatre and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) machines.

But Mudavadi now says that most counties have not received these equipment and that those which have cannot use them for lack of qualified personnel, yet the devolved governments are forced to pay for the machines.

Mudavadi accused the national government of launching an elaborate cover-up of the scheme.

He added that the secretive agreements to lease the equipment was meant to create a monopoly to benefit a cartel of local leaders and suppliers.

The former deputy prime minister said taxpayers are now paying for goods that were never delivered or which are lying in disuse and asked the health ministry to provide details of the agreements signed between the government and various companies involved in the supply of the equipment.

Mudavadi claimed that a man associated with an IT company has been granted a contract to supply imaging equipment and consumables from general electric company in the US.

He also claimed that one of the beneficiariers of the contracts was a dealer in dialysis related equipment and consumables from a company in Italy; and that another dealer  was given the sole contract to supply theatre equipment from a Chinese company.