Azimio leaders from the Western region have urged President William Ruto to expedite the prosecution of suspected corrupt government officials.
According to Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, his deputy Ayub Savula, and Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathew Owili, the investigationsinto the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) are a step in the right direction.
President Ruto’s decision to disband the Kemsa board and suspend its CEO Terry Ramadhani and Principal Secretary for Public Health Josphine Mburu, according to the leaders who spoke in Kakamega on Friday, sent a strong signal about how he intended to deal with corruption in his administration.
The move came after details of a bungled Sh3.7 billion tender for the supply of treated mosquito nets intended to help millions of low-income households prevent malaria were made public.
The scandal has also resulted in a revenue loss of at least Sh370 million for the State Corporation.
The winning bidder was supposed to supply 10.2 million treated mosquito nets under the Global Fund-funded tender, but missteps by Kemsa have caused the Geneva-based organization to demand action against officials who botched its implementation.
Governor Barasa, Mr. Savula, and Mr. Owili urged Dr. Ruto to extend the crackdown to other governing administration departments.
Mr. Barasa said the move by the President was commendable and should be supported by all leaders irrespective of party affiliations.
The county chief called for the amendment of the law to provide for the procurement of drugs by counties which then will be delivered to Kemsa for warehousing and distribution to health facilities.
