Kenya Insights

Tag: MoH

  • Health HR Boss Mokua Clashes With CS Kagwe

    Health HR Boss Mokua Clashes With CS Kagwe

    An ugly war of supremacy has erupted at the Ministry of Health pitting CS Mutahi Kagwe and the head of human resource Albert Mokua, a clash that is likely to hinder the smooth operations at the ministry.

    A few weeks ago the CS in an internal memo ordered for the transfer of two Directors at the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL) to which Mr Mokua flatly refused to act upon. CS Kagwe was acting on the advice offered by the ministry’s legal division which accuses the two NQCL Directors, Hezekiah Chepkwony and senior deputy director Pius Wanjala of failing to develop and implement a disciplinary policy/code of conduct, and conflict of interest, respectively. The two were also accused of resisting transfers from NQCL.

    As a result of Mr Mokua’s actions, there is simmering bad blood between his office and that of the Cabinet Secretary thereby hindering smooth delivery of services to the public and staff in the ministry.

    Mr Mokua is rumoured to have gone ahead and hidden the files of the aforementioned individuals in cahoots with officers at the Public Service Commission where he previously worked as a senior HR, he is said to enjoy protection from a top officer in the ministry. Mr. Mokua served as the HR Director of East African Community and Regional Development (EAC&RD). Mr Mokua is also accused of being a stumbling block in efforts by the minister to clean up the ministry that has over the years been captured by cartels in perpetuating corruption. Ironically, he’s amongst the fresh appointees that Kagwe appointed in cleaning the healthcare cartels in the rise of Covid billionaires saga where billions of funds meant for Covid were misappropriated.

  • Counties Repaid Sh38Bn To Ghost Medical Equipment Suppliers

    Counties Repaid Sh38Bn To Ghost Medical Equipment Suppliers

    Auditor General report has revealed that Counties have been repaying ghost suppliers of the Health ministry’s leased Sh38 billion medical equipment four years.

    Counties are caughing out billions of shillings repaying not only ghost suppliers but also crippling county taxpayers by forcefully buying equipments without any recorded evidence of their benefits.

    County Health facilities are more sick than the real patients they have to cure and some of the expensive machines that counties are repaying are gathering dust in most of the hospitals.

    Auditor-General’s report indicate that the suppliers of the MES the Ministry of Health leased to counties have never been paid yet the records from the counties indicate that the money had been deducted from County Allocations.

    Each county pays sh200 million each year, initially the counties were paying Sh95 million.

    So for 47 counties, tax payers fork out Sh9.4 billion each year, up from the initial Sh4.5 billion since 2015, when the programme was started. Who exactly is eating these funds? Why is embattled MoH mute and playing numb as yhwy always do?

    According to the government, the modern equipment were meant to bring specialised treatment of cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses closer to the people. The joke remains on people as, take for instance, cancer patients are all referred to KNH where a good number die while waiting on the long list that need to get the drugs and undergo chemo.

    Kidney dialysis machines, X-ray and theatre equipment, and intensive care units were also included in the Managed Equipment Scheme (MES) package.

    County Governments through the Council of  Governors have been complaining that the MoH never involved them in this expensive stagnant project. Since Health is a devolved function Counties are left caughing out funds to keep such half-guessed projects crawling.

    This report in a serious country can land couple of cartels behind bars, unfortunately, we are in a country where corruption is celebrated with baloons, fireworks, ceremonial positions, development only recorded on blueprints, national prayers that look more like a face-picture of National preyers… People who are supposed to keep wananchi Healthy are the very same cartels that directly looting and making them more sick in pockets.

     

     

  • KNH To Build Sh15 Billion Seven-Storey Private Hospital

    KNH To Build Sh15 Billion Seven-Storey Private Hospital

    Just when you thought you’ve seen enough of crap the State parastatal have shitted on Kenyans so far, KNH, a national referral hospital defecates another.

    Kenyatta National Hospital which is Kenya’s largest referral medical facility intends to put up a seven-storey private hospital to fund public services in the parent institution at a cost of Sh 15Billion.

    Scandal filled KNH said in a public notice posted in the dailies that the 300-bed facility that will stand on 3.6 hectares will be developed under a design, construct, equip, finance, operate and maintain model within the next five years.

    “Kenyatta National Hospital Board (KNHB) now wishes to have developed a separate private hospital (the Project) under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement that will serve fee-paying private patients, hence providing a source of additional funding to support the main public hospital,” says the published request for qualification (RFQ) notice.

    According to thise involved, the level six facility whose construction commences in 2020 is allegedly set to offer premium services and will be a standalone facility with 500 motor vehicle parking slots.

    “The prospective bidder must have acted as a hospital operator for not less than five years in a performance-based Level 6 specialist healthcare facility under a public-public partnership contract or a privately run Level 6 facility with a minimum 300 beds,” says the RFQ.

    According to KNH management, the contractor will manage, maintain as well as procure and install hi-tech medical equipment as well as oversee delivery of clinical services.

    Currently, KNH has a private wing where doctors run their own clinics but have to go to private hospitals to attend other patients.

    The facility whose feasibility study is being undertaken by Chinese company Ernst & Young, is the first healthcare public private partnership (PPP) project in Kenya where investors build and own a facility for a number of years to recover costs and make profit before transferring it to the State.

    The Secretary General and CEO of KMPDU Dr. Fn Oluga said this in relation to the statement published on dailies.

    In short, KNH wants to set up a medical facility that will be runned by private foreigners just the same way the loss making and economy killer SGR operates.