This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 29, 2020, Kenya's lawmakers rejected a proposal by the National Treasury to allocate Sh1.5 billion for the purchase of Covid-19 testing kits and chemical reagents.
The rejection comes as Kenya struggles with unprocessed tests due to shortages caused by a worldwide race to acquire testing kits and slow allocation of money to tackle the pandemic.
Lawmakers expressed anger at the Treasury's bid to divert part of the Sh3 billion allocation set aside for three national referral hospitals and select county referral hospitals for Covid-19 to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) in breach of Parliament's directive to ring-fence the funding for the facilities.
MPs further rejected the Treasury's attempt to move Sh700 million from the funds dedicated to the hospitals to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), which is currently being used as an isolation centre for Covid-19 patients.
According to the World Health Organisation, countries should consider their ability to test and trace before lifting lockdowns.
Kenya is trailing countries like South Africa on testing, with about 165,196 tests recorded and 6,070 positive cases.
