Urgent Prayer Request: CS Nakhumicha Seeks Support for Kemsa, NHIF Cleanup
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha. Has vowed not to be intimidated or threatened by cartels collaborating with rogue government officials. To halt the ongoing fight against corruption in two of the state’s most prominent agencies.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Are under fire for mismanagement and corrupt dealings.
The CS noted that there were powerful and influential cartels at KEMSA and the ministry as a whole. And she was determined to confront them directly.
“I am aware that I am traversing treacherous territory, and I need your prayers to complete my mission to clean up the medical authority,” she said.
Kemsa is at the center of a multi-billion shilling scandal. That resulted in the cancellation of a Sh3.7 billion tender for treated bed nets by the Geneva-based Global Fund. Following reports that a Chinese company that met all tender requirements had been unfairly excluded.
The nets were to be distributed to low-income families in 23 districts to reduce their vulnerability to malaria. The distribution of the nets was scheduled for November of this year.
Since then, President William Ruto has sent the entire Kemsa board home. Including suspending CEO Terry Ramadhani over the botched multimillion-shilling tender. And dismissing Principal Secretary for Public Health Dr. Josepha Mburu.
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In the meantime, the NHIF has been reeling from allegations. That some of its officials are using rogue hospitals to milk it for scandalous deals. Including defrauding the fund by offering elderly Kenyans unnecessary and potentially harmful surgeries.
Branch managers in the affected regions have since been suspended pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The cabinet secretary acknowledged that it was not easy to fight and win the war against corruption in her portfolio. But she vowed to spare no effort in her efforts to dismantle the cartels that plagued the health sector.
Ms. Nakhumicha, speaking at St Joseph Catholic Mission Level 4 Hospital in Trans Nzoia County. Vowed to confront the cartels responsible for KEMSA’s entrenched corruption and restore order to the institutions.
“I will not be afraid to act and I will not be afraid to act against the two institutions’ entrenched malpractices. “The government will not permit individuals to benefit from public resources at the expense of Kenyans,” she stated.
The Cabinet Secretary stated that the clean-up effort at the two key institutions of the Ministry of Health was unstoppable and noted that she was counting on President William Ruto’s support.
She reassured Kenyans that the clean-up effort at the two institutions was irreversible and would result in the desired improvement in service delivery, promising to deliver results within two months.
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Ms. Nakhumicha, an expert in procurement, pleaded with Kenyans to pray for her safety, noting that she had been “stirring the pot” in a dangerous region dominated by powerful cartels.
“The war against corruption in KEMSA and NHIF has begun, and no amount of coercion will prevent me from taking action. The CS, who has been very vocal about the events at the two institutions, stated, “I am confident we will win the war.”
The Cabinet Secretary, who was accompanied by Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and Kitale Catholic Bishop Juma Odonya, praised the church and state’s collaboration to improve the country’s health and education sectors.
She oversaw the transition of St. John’s Mission Hospital from a level 3 to a level 4 facility and promised the hospital government support.
She presented the facility with medical supplies from KEMSA worth Sh330,000. The county’s governor pledged that his administration would collaborate with the facility’s administration to promote health services.
The Governor also warned private chemists and medical facilities that serve as conduits for the theft of drugs and medical equipment from public facilities that they could soon find themselves behind bars.
Urgent Prayer Request: CS Nakhumicha Seeks Support for Kemsa, NHIF Cleanup
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