The Treasury is on the spot over the criteria it is using for counties to pay sh.200 million for Medical equipment services(MES) from earlier quoted threshold standing at sh. 95 million per county annually.
Speaking before the Adhoc senate committee, former principal secretary in the ministry of health Julius Korir and former MES chair in the ministry of health Moranga Murekwa said that they fail to understand as to why treasury executed the mode of payment of MES by counties which jumped from sh. 95 million to sh. 200 million.
They said that they had set variations which stood at 25 percent which was a guide for the payment and which is not supposed to reach sh. 200 million as executed by the treasury.
“Were you aware by adjusting payment ,you were charging counties from sh 95 million to sh. 200m.”Senator Wetangula quizzed.
“Variation was done and payment too but we were not privy to this,” Murekwa said.
Korir, however, distanced himself from the variation.
“Am hearing this for the first time,” Korir said
The matter as to why seven seas local companies which had applied for MES contract emerged, denying the assertion earlier made by the cabinet secretary in the ministry of health Sicily Kariuki that she was not privy to meetings of the tenders.
Murekwa and Korir said that they were not consulted when the company tender was terminated, and as to why it was denied a letter of support from the government following the fact it had complied with stipulated laid procedures.
This comes just a few days after the former health CS Sicily Kariuki told the committee that Murekwa did not have the capacity to lead the contractual meetings with seven Seas allegations Murekwa denies pointing that the CS was vividly privy to what was transpiring.
It also emerged that the office of the attorney general wrote an advisory opinion that the company did not qualify to give the tender, allegations the ministry of health officials downplays, insisting that in the first place AG office was not supposed to write the advisory opinion following the fact that advisory opinion is supposed to be done when tenders reach sh. 5 billion thresholds yet this tender stood at sh. 3.9 billion.
Adhoc chair Fatuma Dullo said that the committee will intensify its interrogation on the matter.
