Irungu Nyakera has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) board.
This appointment follows President William Ruto’s decision to disband KEMSA board over alleged maladministration.
In the new changes at KEMSA, CEO Terry Ramadhani has also been suspended alongside other eight officers in the Ministry of Health.
The Permanent Secretary of Public Health Josephine Mburu has also been fired over the recent nets tender scandal at KEMSA.
Reports had emerged recently alleging that KEMSA has irregularly awarded tenders for the procurement of mosquito nets.
The mosquito net tender was a donor-funded program that aimed at supplying mosquito nets to needy communities for free. Then KEMSA officials allegedly used the donor funds as a scheme to make money through an inappropriate tender process.
The disband of KEMSA and ultimate firing of Josephine Mburu comes after a meeting held at Statehouse between President William Ruto and officials from the Ministries of Health, Treasury, and Public Service Commission.
The Ethics and Anticorruption Commission has now moved to conduct investigations on the alleged irregularities of KEMSA.
Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr. Nakhumicha S. Wafula says that they are investigating to determine whether funds have been lost in the illicit process. She notes that the tendering process was in the awarding stage when the irregularities were discovered.
It is good to see that a potential corruption scandal has been arrested before actual money is spent, but the unfolding event shows that there are still rogue officials who are determined to loot public funds.
Following his appointment, Irungu Nyakera has started off his new mandate by visiting the Cabinet Secretary for Health Nakhumicha Wafula to discuss the reform process.
