Suspended Kemsa boss Jonah Manjari has changed tune on procurement, and has now said the agency was not coerced to award tenders to specific companies.
"We were not instructed to procure those items from those suppliers as has been alluded earlier," he said while appearing before the National Assembly Health Committee on Thursday.
"AS CEO, I did not work under any pressure, I did these with my eyes open."
Manjari continued, "Under my watch, no money was lost and I did not oversee any loss of funds. All commodities supplied have been utilised and those not utilised are intact."
His statement comes a day after Health CS Mutahi 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.
Manjari defended questionable procurement at the state agency, saying the process was done in the best interest of the country.
Manjari said the agency was faced with difficult choices to make at a time the country was threatened by the fast-spreading pandemic and a number of global suppliers, including China and India had locked down.
Manjari said Kemsa had to make a tough decision as there was a serious threat to the health workers in the country who were the frontline soldiers.
“It is for the passion that I have for this health industry and health care workers, I really needed to protect them and not have a situation witnessed in other countries,” he told the lawmakers.
“At the time, Kemsa had already passed the 2019/20 budget and by March 2020 when the pandemic was declared, there was no budget in Kemsa for Covid, so we rode on the assumption that being a pandemic we will be able to get funds from an emergency fund, donors and MoH and reserve at Kemsa.”
The Committee chaired by Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege questioned the suspended official on Kemsa's role in the procurement of Covid-19 items.
Manjari was suspended last month following allegations that the authority flouted procurement regulations.
He was suspended alongside Charles Juma (head of procurement) and Eliud Mureithi (commercial director) to allow EACC complete investigations into the matter.
