Kemsa bosses face charges over Sh7.8bn Covid-19 kits

Kemsa chief executive officer Jonah Manjari. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By JOHN MUTUA
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Summary

• The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Agency (EACC) says Kemsa’s top officials flouted procurement requirements in awarding contracts amid fears that some companies never supplied the kits.
• EACC did not however name the individuals but said that they should be charged with economic crimes, flawed procurement and misuse of public funds.

Top directors of Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) face prosecution over irregular purchase of Covid-19 protective kits worth Sh7.8 billion, turning focus on traders who earned billions from the contracts.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Agency (EACC) says Kemsa’s top officials flouted procurement requirements in awarding contracts amid fears that some companies never supplied the kits.

EACC did not however name the individuals but said that they should be charged with economic crimes, flawed procurement and misuse of public funds.

The calls for prosecution come even as the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) told Parliament that Kemsa favoured some companies in awarding contracts, citing Megascope Healthcare Limited that won tenders worth Sh29.5 million.

PPRA said some of the suppliers did not provide performance guarantees adding that some of the kits may not have been supplied.

Kemsa, which buys drugs for all public health facilities started procuring sanitsers, surgical gloves, face masks, eye protective googles, ventilators and swabs among other items in April after the country recorded the first Covid-19 infection.

“Distribution of the opportunities to supply Kemsa with Covid-19 related items was skewed to favour some Suppliers without evidence of justification… M/s. Megascope Healthcare (K) Limited was awarded three (3No.) tenders for supply of face mask whereas M/s. Ziwala Limited was awarded only one tender for the same item,” PPRA said in a report to Parliament.

“We noted that some of the deliveries were made one month after issuance of commitment letters while others have not been delivered to date casting doubt on the justification of the urgency.”

The Kemsa board last month suspended the CEO Jonah Manjari, Eliud Muriithi (commercial director) and Charles Juma (procurement director) when revelations of the irregular procurement came to the fore.

The fate of the three and junior officials adversely mentioned in the flawed contracts is in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions who last week received the EACC report.