President Uhuru orders ministry of health to publish all Covid-19 procurements

President Uhuru Kenyatta (PHOTO: PSCU)

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Health to publish details of all procurements related to Covid-19 particularly those undertaken by the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).

The President said the publication of procurement information including winners of tenders is an act of transparency and an anti-corruption measure that should be adopted by all public entities.

"I also hereby direct that the Ministry of Health, within the next 30 days, must come up with a transparent, open method and mechanism through which all tenders and procurement done by KEMSA are available online," he ordered.

"This level of transparency and through the use of technology, will go a very along way in ensuring that we have the confidence of our people that those placed in institutions are able to manage the resources of the Kenyan taxpayer plus our development partners in an open and transparent manner," he added.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe is the latest senior government official to be dragged into the alleged misuse of coronavirus funds after he was named as one of those who pressurised the medical supplies agency to award tenders for purchase of items required to fight the pandemic.

Kagwe was named alongside his Principal Secretary Susan Mochache, and another member of the Covid-19 Emergency Response Board only identified with his military title, as having pressured Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) into disregarding procurement rules.

Suspended Kemsa CEO Jonah Manjari told the joint Senate Health and Ad Hoc Committee on Covid-19 that he was receiving numerous calls, short text messages and emails from the trio to award tenders for the provision of various items.

The President spoke this afternoon at State House, Nairobi during the closing session of the virtual Covid-19 conference on building pandemic response resilience by county governments organised by the Council of Governors.

Deputy President Dr William Ruto who also addressed the closing session said Covid-19 had brought to the fore Kenya's manufacturing potential as seen through the PPE's produced by local entities and thanked the President for consolidating national efforts in the fight against the killer virus.