Release Sh670m Ebola fund, House team tells Treasury

A parliamentary group now wants the Treasury to immediately release Sh671 million requested by the ministry of Health as a contingency against the deadly Ebola virus.

In what appeared to be a change of tune, National Assembly's Health Committee chairman Rachael Nyamai said there should be no further delays in releasing the money.

On Monday, Dr Nyamai wondered why the committee was not involved in drafting the budget for the contingency plans, but Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said it was an emergency and there was no time for such consultations.

The Sh671 million request by the Ministry of Health attracted doubts from some MPS who said the amount was too much.

But Macharia defended the requested amount saying the figure is actually 'a drop in the ocean'.

Speaking during a press conference at Parliament Buildings, Nyamai named the measures put in place by the government as issuance of an Ebola alert, screening of travellers, setting up of an Ebola task force, acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment and establishment of a national contingency plan.