• The CoG has opposed the programme with the chairman saying most governors were blackmailed and manipulated to sign the deal.
• Oparanya said some of the machines are dysfunctional while others are idle because of lack of technical personnel to operate them.
Image: FILE PHOTO
The Senate will next week start investigating the Sh38 billion Managed Equipment Services (MES) programme that began in 2015.
Several counties received assorted essential medical equipment through the scheme and are now forced to repay Sh200 million every year.
Health CS Sicily Kariuki, Council of Governors' boss Wycliffe Oparanya and directors of at least five international firms will appear for questioning.
In the deal, the Ministry was supposed to deduct a fixed sum of Sh90 million annually from each of the 47 counties over seven years.
However, the deal was varied along the way and increased the contract period to 10 years.
The annual deductions also increased from Sh90 million to Sh200 million per county per year.
The House last Thursday formed a nine-member ad hoc committee to probe any wrongdoing by the firms that supplied equipment.
“We will get directions from the speaker this week, but our work should be immediate because we only have 45 days to table our report,” Senator Millicent Omanga said.
Omanga said the ad hoc committee will question all stakeholders and visit every facility that was supplied.
Senators Moses Wetangula (Bungoma), Fatuma Dullo (Isiolo), Mary Seneta (nominated), Paul Githiomi (Nyandarua), Christopher Langat (Bomet), Stewart Madzayo (Kilifi), Judith Pareno (nominated) and Enoch Wambua (Kitui) are the other members.
Senators said that the extent to which county governments were involved in the programme has remained unclear.
They further said the opposition raised by CoG reveals serious gaps in the consultative process between the Ministry of Health and county governments.
The CoG has opposed the programme saying most governors were blackmailed and manipulated to sign the deal.
The governors say they have never known the real faces behind the companies that supply the equipment nor read the contract before appending their signatures.
“The equipment was brought to Kakamega General Hospital at night on a Saturday. I declined but I was made to accept under duress,” Oparanya told a Senate committee in May.
Oparanya said some of the machines are dysfunctional while others are idle because of lack of technical personnel to operate them.
The ad-hoc committee will among things, establish whether county governments were involved in prioritising the equipment by their needs
The committee will also find out the details of the companies and the viability and benefit of leasing versus outright purchase.
“Leasing the medical equipment was ultimately more expensive than direct purchase,” Minority leader James Orengo said.
The Senators will also probe the schedule of equipment supplied to each hospital and the cost including proof that the monies disbursed were utilised properly.
They will also probe the intended purpose and the results of the exercise, considering contracts expire in 2022 and equipment has remained unused in some counties.
“This is a scandal of monstrous proportions. It was called MES and it has become a big mess,” Wetangula said.
Senator Langata said his Bomet county received the equipment only weeks ago but the county has been paying for them since 2015.
(edited by O. Owino)