Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during a past event/FILEHealth Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has reignited calls for accountability over the KEMSA/ Covid-19 scandal, which led to the loss of billions of shillings.
Duale urged the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to act swiftly on the beneficiaries who he alleged hid behind political power and state protection in the past administration.
He said President William Ruto will not shield those involved, no matter how influential.
“The KEMSA/Covid billionaires got state protection at that time,” Duale claimed during a TV interview.
“But now, President William Ruto is not ready to protect them. I don’t know why the DPP is sitting on the file; he should prosecute them.”
Duale claimed the suspects are not just shadowy businesspeople, but influential figures, including MPs.
While he did not reveal names, his remarks appeared to pile pressure on the DPP to act on a matter that has long stirred public outrage.
He wondered why the office had continued to drag its feet over the matter.
“These are very powerful people, some MPs, but that should not be an excuse; the DPP should move and prosecute them."
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed deep cracks in the country's health procurement systems, with investigations revealing inflated tenders, dubious companies, and millions lost in public funds meant to protect frontline workers.
Despite investigations and public uproar, no high-profile cases have taken place to date.
Duale’s latest comments come amid renewed calls for accountability, especially after Ruto pledged a clean break from past impunity.
His administration has repeatedly said it will not shield anyone implicated in corruption, regardless of their political stature.
An audit conducted by the office of the Auditor General revealed that Sh17 billion was lost during the period.
Early last year, the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee summoned the DPP over the inordinate delay in prosecuting those involved.
This was after the anti-graft body revealed that in the last three years, the DPP had thrice returned the file with recommendations to cover additional areas.
