It's not my job to tell anyone to commit a crime, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has said.
Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly Health Committee on Wednesday, Kagwe said it is his job to put people under pressure so that they can deliver results.
"…It is, however, not my job to tell anybody to commit any crime...... And in the event that I told a CEO to do something that is against the law, the normal thing to do in government is to say - give me what you're telling me in writing," he said.
But he noted that part of his job was to coordinate with other agencies to ensure that they serve Kenyans better.
Kagwe's statement came after suspended Kemsa CEO Jonah Manjari claimed that he was pressured by top Health ministry officials to procure Covid-19 supplies.
Manjari last week alleged Kagwe and PS Susan Mochache made direct contact with him to influence procurement of the items.
Kagwe said as Kenya stands, it does not have testing reagents.
"We have a crisis because we don't have reagents. The American government has suspended the exportation of reagents for testing our people.It's my job to liaise with Kemsa to see how to salvage the situation," he said.
"It is my job to communicate with the CEO of Kemsa, all the staff in the ministry and other institutions to ensure we produce in the job as expected."
Kagwe said the he gave direct policy on local production of PPEs, adding that he has never micromanaged anyone.
"I did not influence any procurement process," he said.
Earlier, the parliamentary committee sent away top Transport ministry officials, saying the team was unprepared to respond to its questions.
The National Assembly Health Committee chaired by Sabina Chege said the Transport ministry officials who appeared before them were not adequately prepared.
The Transport ministry was represented by Health CAS Chris Obure during the afternoon session.
He appeared before the committee to explain the ministry's role in the clearing of Jack Ma Foundation donations.
Obure had told the committee that all the donations were cleared exclusively by the government clearing agency.
