Although EACC promised to release a report on the Sh5 billion Health scandal within a month of visiting the ministry's premises, they are yet to deliver two months down the line.
The Star has been reliably informed that the commission is yet to start the probe.
"The interest this scandal generates is just huge. The people adversely mentioned in the scandal is another challenge," a senior official at the agency told the Star in confidence on Monday.
Days after media reports indicated that the Health ministry has lost Sh5 billion through irregular payments, EACC deputy CEO Michael Mubea stormed Afya House promising to institute a special team to look into the claims.
"We have commenced fresh investigations in response to the media reports that contained allegations of irregular payments," he said on October 28, 2016.
An audit report of the ministry's internal auditor Bernard Muchere revealed that the cash was lost through irregular payments to companies associated with influential personalities in the political and business class.
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Mubea would not speak on the issue when contacted on Monday and instead directed us to his boss Halakhe Waqo, who was unavailable for comment as he did not respond to calls and text messages.
“I am on leave until the 9th of this month. Can you get the CEO (Halakhe Waqo), who has the latest position?” Mubea responded.
During the much publicised visit to Afya House, Mubea noted that he had requested the Health CS to provide all the required documentation for his team.
“We have written to the minister calling for documents that touch on various companies that have been adversely mentioned in the report. The whole purpose of the special team is to gather all the documents so that we can have them ready,” he said.
The CS Cleopa Mailu also told the Star that the ministry has so far cooperated and availed all the documents as requested by the EACC to facilitate the investigations.
Mubea had also noted that the commission had been conducting investigations at the ministry but opened a fresh probe following the media reports of misuse of public funds.
On Monday, Mailu confirmed that Auditor General Edward Ouko is investigating the alleged theft of Sh5 billion at the ministry.
Mailu said the ministry will await the findings and recommendations of the audit, but did not specify the time-line within which the report will be ready.
“The Auditor General responded to the ministry's request and has from December 5, 2016 commenced a special audit on the matter,” the CS told the Star.