President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday ordered Kenya's health ministry to publish details of all purchases made during the post-Coronavirus epidemic, with government officials stealing millions of dollars’ worth of essential medical supplies.
The directive specifically applies to
ongoing tenders by Kenya's Medical Supply Agency (KEMSA), which has been at the
center of a growing scandal that has led to strikes over illegal hospitals and
street protests. ۔
The KMSA is accused of spending 400 400
million on medical equipment needed by government officials and businessmen to
fight the corona virus.
Kenyatta last week instructed the
Anti-Corruption Commission to expedite its investigation into KEMSA, which is
responsible for providing Kenya's defeated hospitals to treat Kenyan virus
patients. The CEO of KEMSA and other senior officials have stood up.
Kenyatta also said the health ministry has
30 days to develop a "transparent" system so that KEMSA procurement
process can be published’ online.
"This level of transparency and the
use of technology will go a long way in ensuring that we have the confidence of
our people that the people employed in the institutions are open management of
our development partners, in addition to Kenyan taxpayers." The president
said in a statement.
- Medical staff in people infected with
the virus -
Frontline health workers are among the 577
people who have died from the corona virus in Kenya since the first case came
to light in March. They include a 32-year-old nurse who contracted the disease
just two weeks after giving birth.
Medical personnel dealing with corona virus
patients have complained about the quality of supplies, posting some online
photos of defective personal protective equipment in emergency rooms across the
country.
Doctors at government hospitals went on
strike this month, sparking anti-corruption protests in several Kenyan cities
following a television investigation into allegations of mass grafting in the
KMSA. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of
protesters by truck.
The KEMSA scandal came as Kenyan
investigators vowed to separately investigate the alleged theft of PPE supplies
provided by Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
Allegations of corruption and misuse have
surfaced as new infections of Covid 19 have increased in Kenya, although their
numbers have declined in recent weeks.
Government officials have welcomed the
downturn, but the WHO warned in a note on Monday that caution should be
exercised’ in the overall investigation and detection of contacts during the
same period. Decreased.
As of Monday, there were 34,201 cases in
the East African country.
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