- Chege said the graft allegations that have marred Kemsa have eroded donors' and Kenyans' confidence in the facility.
- She asked the new board to work with Kemsa's management to streamline its operations.
National Assembly Health committee chairperson Sabina Chege has appealed to the new Kenya Medical Supplies Authority board to help restore Kenyans’ confidence in the parastatal.
Chege said the facility has been faced with a myriad of challenges and graft allegations, especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, that have eroded both Kenyan' and donors’ confidence in Kemsa.
“Kemsa has expanded in many areas; it has storage and cold chain facilities worth almost Sh1 billion. I hope that the new board will work together with the management to streamline operations,” she said.
The President on April 28 published a gazette notice in which he appointed Mary Chao Mwadime as the chairperson of the new board after firing the previous team that was led by former Murang’a senator Kembi Gitura.
While congratulating the new board, Chege noted that graft allegations that have marred the institution, have made it difficult for Kenyans to have faith in it.
“We recently saw how the USAID almost pulled out of Kemsa over the issue of HIV drugs. We are hoping that the new board will work together with the management and help restore the confidence of Kenyans and donors,” she added.
The parastatal is being investigated over alleged dubious tender deals amounting to Sh7.8 billion.
She urged Kemsa’s management to operates above board and co-operate with the new board.
Chege spoke at Kangari market on Saturday where she distributed over 100 umbrellas to traders who have been displaced by the ongoing construction of the facility.
Many of the traders now display their wares on the ground and have no covers to shield them from hot sun or the rain.
“Through my foundation, I managed to source for a few umbrellas that we have distributed to traders to protect them from the rains. I hope the contractor working on the Sh340 million market will fast track works so that traders can utilise it,” she said.
The market will help farmers consolidate their produce for export and will be equipped with cold storage facilities.
Chege lauded the government for constructing the market saying it will change the lives of residents who are dominantly small scale farmers.
The market is expected to be completed in about seven moths, she said, as the Mau Mau roads that pass through the area are tarmacked.
The roads from Kangari to Kinyona, Ikumbi to Kinyona and Mairi to the Aberdare Forest are almost done and will complement the market as it will facilitate easy transportation of farm produce, she noted.
“The market will be game changer in region. I was brought up here and was shocked three years ago to find the market as it was years ago. We talked to the President and he promised to have it done and sent Interior CS Fred Matiang’i to launch it,” she added.
-Edited by SKanyara