Ministry of Health under scrutiny over Sh24 billion community health kits deal
By Lucy Mumbi |
The National Assembly’s Health Committee rejected an attempt by Muthoni to withdraw a document on the procurement due to insufficient answers.
The Ministry of Health has been put in a spot over a Sh24 billion procurement deal for community health promoters' kits, with Members of Parliament threatening to block its budget until all questions surrounding the agreement are addressed.
The National Assembly’s Health Committee has demanded answers from Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni and Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai to ascertain whether the deal offered value for money to taxpayers.
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During a session, the committee, chaired by Endebes MP Robert Pukose, expressed dissatisfaction with the ministry’s explanations regarding the programme.
“We are not satisfied with the answers; we are going for recess and will resume in mid-January over this matter,” Pukose said.
The committee rejected an attempt by Muthoni to withdraw a document on the procurement due to insufficient answers.
"No, you cannot withdraw it. You have signed it, and it is now a parliamentary document," Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli told Muthoni.
The programme, which was originally managed under the Department of Medical Services, was transferred to Muthoni’s docket, but the committee questioned the details of this transition.
According to the Daily Nation, documents presented revealed that the government contracted Surgimed Medical Supplies, a Chinese firm, on September 13, 2023, to supply kits, consumables, and medicines over three years.
In the first year, the supplies were valued at Sh10.2 billion, with Sh6.8 billion projected for the second year and Sh7.6 billion for the third. The ministry received 100,000 kits on September 22, 2023, along with medicines that were distributed to county headquarters.
Significant issues
Despite the deliveries, MPs unearthed significant issues, including delayed payments to community health promoters since June and continued payments to deceased individuals.
Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge revealed that in Nyeri, four health promoters who died in May had still not been paid by June, while 35 others had yet to receive any stipend.
"It seems like we have a problem in terms of numbers from counties," Mathenge noted.
But Muthoni sought to defend the ministry.
"We only pay according to the lists provided by counties. I will write to Nyeri to confirm their list and ensure no payments go to individuals who have exited," she said.
The committee’s hard-line stance casts doubt on the success of President William Ruto’s Universal Health Coverage agenda, which hinges on the effective implementation of the community health promoters programme.
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