This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has defended individuals accused of looting Covid-19 funds, saying they should not be prosecuted without evidence.
Speaking at the party's headquarters in Nairobi, Sifuna said the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) should not be directed to investigate the matter before the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has conducted a thorough investigation.
He claimed that the prices of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) were low before the Covid-19 pandemic and increased afterwards due to high demand.
“Therefore, high prices alone should not be considered as a basis to accuse officials involved in the procurement of being corrupt,” Sifuna said.
On August 21, the KEMSA Board suspended the CEO Jonah Manjari and two other officials, Eliud Murithi and Charles Juma, over the scandal.
According to an earlier investigation, KEMSA had procured 10 million PPEs at a cost of Sh6.397 billion, but they were purchased at a cost of Sh3.407 billion.
On August 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described corruption in the procurement of PPEs as a form of murder.
“Any form of corruption is unacceptable. And corruption related to PPEs, in my view, is equivalent to murder. Because if healthcare workers work without these equipment, we risk their lives. And that is also a risk to the people they serve,” Tedros said.
