The country’s largest referral hospital, KNH , did not receive any of the Covid-19 donations by the Chinese philanthropist Jack Ma.
The hospital’s top management on Tuesday said the donations they received during the pandemic did not show the origin.
According to Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Evanson Kamuri, their consignments originated from the Kenya Medical Supplies agency.
“Some of them will automatically be missing because we did not get specifics of the donor. We received Covid-19 donations during the height of the pandemic from Kemsa just like other institutions without the indications who had donated,” Kamuri said.
The donations, which were not labeled, included assorted personal protective equipment and the hospital could not ascertain they were from Jack Ma.
Some 21 packages with unspecified amounts of testing kits and protective gears donated by the Chinese billionaire were received in Nairobi from Ethiopia.
But Transport Ministry, which handled the life-saving consignments, had told Parliament that it received 21 packages at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Health committee last year, then Transport CAS Chris Obure said the 21 packages did not arrived at JKIA.
The country was to receive 697 packages medical supplies but received 21 packages less.
The CEO also told the oversight committee that KNH received Sh600 million from the exchequer for Covid-19 emergency response.
The referral hospital also received Sh140 million towards care for health workers during the period of the pandemic.
National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi has been investigating how the Covid-19 funds had been used by various government entities during the pandemic.
The oversight committee is examining the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s special report on the utilisation of the Covid-19 funds.
The House team is scheduled to meet CEOs of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta University Research and Referral Hospital.
-Edited by SKanyara
