Kemsa paid firms in a rush
The majority of the nation was focused on elective politics and the changes in policy that accompany a new administration in July 2022.
By this point, most businesses that weren’t involved in events, printing, petrol, or any other type of company needed for campaigns were experiencing slow business.
However, it was a money-making machine for a small group of contractors who were employed by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) to import personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic two years earlier.
One month prior to the 2022 General Election, Kemsa made a series of payments totaling half a billion shillings to four companies. The issue surrounding these payments could once again prompt anti-corruption investigators to visit a government organization that has endured numerous procurement scandals.
Shop “N” Buy Ltd. (Sh332.5 million), Medilife Biologicals Ltd. (Sh110 million), and La Miguela Holdings (Sh60 million) received payments from Kemsa on July 8 and July 27.
Despite the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s (EACC) ongoing inquiry into Kemsa’s purchase of protective equipment in 2020, when the Covid-19 outbreak had brought Kenya to a standstill, the payments were paid.
Kemsa paid firms in a rush
The EACC inquiry is nearing its conclusion and may result in the prosecution of anyone involved in any misconduct, including suppliers and Kemsa officials.
The inquiry is soon to be finished, according to yesterday’s confirmation from Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji. Before the suspects are charged, the case was sent back to the EACC on February 23 for a few tasks to be finished.
To compare with the payments made by the State agency, EACC detectives are verifying the price of the protective gear at the time Kemsa hired dozens of businesses to provide the equipment.
“We want to know when, where, and who received the funds. It needs help from other nations, particularly with the pricing (of PPEs),” Mr. Haji added.