This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
On August 23, 2020, a consortium of twenty-five civil society organizations in Kenya demanded a presidential address on corruption allegations amid reports of misappropriation of COVID-19 funds and donated supplies.
The organizations, led by Transparency International, asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to announce transparency and accountability measures to safeguard public resources and bring those implicated to account.
According to the civil society groups, the report will keep the government accountable on how the management of COVID-19 funds has caused uproar across the country following reports of embezzlement at the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).
President Kenyatta was urged to 'urgently address the nation on the allegations of corruption and announce transparency and accountability measures to be undertaken to safeguard public resources and bring those implicated to account.'
The civil society groups also demanded a national COVID-19 response report from Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, including a full report on county preparedness to respond to the pandemic and the assessment and address of occupational health and safety of medical practitioners.
These demands come against the backdrop of an investigative media exposé revealing how a large consignment of donations, including masks and ventilators from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, was diverted and sold to a private entity in a neighboring country.
