Suspended KEMSA boss Jonah Manjari link CS Mutahi Kagwe and PS Susan Mochache on Tender fraud

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe. FILE

 

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe is the recent senior government official to be roped into the alleged misuse of coronavirus funds.

 

He was named as one of those who forced the medical supplies agency to award tenders to specific companies for the procurement 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 committee grilled of KEMSA officials on the alleged theft of virus funds.

 

One of the questions that Manjari was to answer was why he exceeded the budget in his spending. 

 

He was at pains to explain to the lawmakers why he went on a spending spree, committing more than Sh7.6 billion to the procurement of the items without clearance from the board.


He told the committee co-chaired by Trans Nzoia Senator Michael Mbito (Health) and his nominated counterpart Sylvia Kasanga (Ad Hoc on Covid-19) that they were responding to an emergency pandemic and that certain items had to be procured to save lives.


 

“We got various requests from the Health CS, the PS Susan Mochache and a member of the Covid-19 Emergency Response team. The requests came through phone calls, text messages and even emails,” Manjari said.