Ex- Health PS accuses Ruto of unfairly dismissing her over Ksh 3.7B KEMSA scandal
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Former public health PS claims she was wrongly dismissed by President Ruto over Ksh 3.7B KEMSA scandal that was not under her docket
Former public health PS claims she was unfairly dismissed by President Ruto over Ksh 3.7B KEMSA scandal that was not under her docket.
On Tuesday, June 6, Josephine Mburu, a former principal secretary for public health, maintained her innocence in the Ksh3.7 billion Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) controversy that caused her dismissal.
Mburu stated during her appearance before the Senate Health Committee that her former colleague Peter Tum, who was transferred to the Ministry of Sports, was in charge of the medical agency charged with acquiring medical equipment, not her.
The former PS, therefore, clarified that she had no power to influence the tendering process done by the agency.
“KEMSA is under medical services where Tum was in charge. I have no control over whatever happens in KEMSA.
“I was not involved in the process. The process had already started before me. I believe the staff did everything to the best of their ability unless otherwise but I was not involved,” she stated.
When asked about her letter changing specifications for mosquito nets, the PS indicated that the letter was an advisory to the agency, written based on documentation already prepared by the Ministries of Treasury and Health.
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“When the advert was made public, the head of the Malaria Programme noted an omission and alerted me. I did not even know there was an advert because KEMSA is a separate entity.
“The letter did not stall the process. As a PS, I only gave advice based on the previous specifications shared by Malaria Programme in 2016,” she stated.
Further, she added that she was unaware whether funds were lost, indicating that the Treasury was better placed to address the misappropriation.
President Ruto fired PS Mburu on May 16 after Global Fund – the donor behind the malaria programme, raised concerns over the last-minute changes in the specifications of mosquito nets tendered by Kemsa.
Her exit from the Ministry after serving for 163 days was also followed by changes in the KEMSA board, including the suspension of CEO Terry Ramadhani.
Tum has yet to account for his involvement in the mosquito net tender.
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