MPs are plotting to cripple President Uhuru Kenyatta’s healthcare agenda in what they believe will be sealing loopholes for corruption.
The House Budget committee is considering slashing Sh8.4 billion from the Health docket, a move likely to make it a tall order for the Jubilee administration to realise Uhuru’s four-pillar legacy agenda.
Major casualties in the proposed budget cut are the Sh4 billion UHC countrywide rollout and the Sh4.4 billion conditional grants advanced by the national government to 11 level 5 hospitals across the country.
The four pillars which are Uhuru’s main focus in his second and final term in office include manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing and food security.
In what will touch the heart of Uhuru’s dream for universal health services to all Kenyans, MPs are toying with the idea of slashing the Sh4 billion allocated to the project's rollout, terming the manner in which it is being rushed as suspect.
Multiple sources sitting at the powerful Budget committee of the National Assembly told the Star they will knock down UHC rollout allocation if the government does not make public the pilot report of the project that was being rolled out in four select counties.
Kisumu, Isiolo, Nyeri and Machakos counties were selected for the programme and were expected to generate the required feedback to guide the nationwide rollout.
They lawmakers claim proceeding with a national rollout in the absence of the feedback of the pilot might lead to loss of billions of taxpayers’ money.
House Minority leader John Mbadi, a member of the committee, confirmed the team is not keen on approving more money for the rollout when the piloting report remains under lock and key.
“Why are you rolling out UHC nationally and you have not given us the feedback of the pilot project? These are areas that are fertile ground for embezzlement of funds,” Mbadi, who is also the Suba South MP, said.
“We feel that if this project – which we all agree means well for Kenyans – is not rolled out properly, then there are chances we will waste public money.”
The committee chaired by Kikuyu lawmaker Kimani Ichung’wa will on Thursday meet with Treasury to iron out their concerns on both the supplementary and 2019-20 budget.
Another area that the lawmakers and Treasury are likely to lock horns on is the Sh4.4 billion conditional grant to hospitals.
According to the committee, the money never reaches the institutions and are rechanneled to other activities.
“We have information that the money to be used in the level 5 hospitals is not used in those facilities,” another member of the committee on condition od anonymity.
