This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
On October 16, 2019, Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya appeared before the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the Medical Leasing Equipment at Parliament in Nairobi. The committee was probing the Managed Equipment Service (MES) deal, which had been shrouded in controversy.
According to Oparanya, the county bosses had protested to President Uhuru Kenyatta about the price variations, which saw each county being asked to pay Sh200 million annually, up from Sh95 million. The governors had questioned why the increased amount was necessary, especially when some counties already had the equipment they were being asked to lease.
President Kenyatta had promised to instruct the Health CS to form a taskforce to investigate the issues raised by the governors. However, despite numerous follow-ups, no taskforce had been formed, and the governors were left wondering how the ministry they were questioning could investigate itself.
Oparanya further revealed that the procurement of the equipment on behalf of the counties was not done according to the law. He stated that governors had made it clear in different council meetings that counties never requested for the MES project.
Some governors had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the leasing scheme under duress, as the pressure was too much. The MoU barred any variations, additions, deletions, or cancellations of any clauses unless in writing and signed by the parties involved.
Senator Moses Wetangula expressed fear that the entire deal may have been fraudulent, citing a general feeling supported by fact that someone or some people sitting at the Ministry of Health headquarters may have connived to do business using counties as the conduit.
