I didn’t tell you to break the law, CS Kagwe tells suspended Kemsa CEO

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe has denied any involvement in the alleged Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) scandal, saying that he only gave orders due to the high demand for Covid-19 kits.

Suspended Kemsa chief executive officer, Jonah Manjari, during his appearance at the special committee said he acted on CS Kagwe’s instructions on how to procure.

Kagwe admitted that he pressured CEO Manjari because of the emergency nature of managing Covid-19 pandemic and he had no apologies to make.

Speaking on Wednesday, September 2, while appearing before the National Assembly Health Committee chaired by Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege, Kagwe said he has no interest in any company that is currently supplying Kemsa.

“It is not my job to advise anybody against anything they are not supposed to do, and in the event that I told a CEO to do something that is against the law or something they are not comfortable with, he should have said give me that in writing!” Kagwe retorted.

He quipped that it was his job to put people under pressure so that they can produce the results we are looking for, it’s however not his job to tell anybody to commit a crime

“When you go wrong you don’t go wrong because the CS told you to go wrong, you go wrong because you are a poor manager and you don’t know how to manage and use the laws on procurement,” added the Health CS.

It had been claimed that Kagwe and his Principal Secretary Susan Mochache had written to Manjari, and even sent text messages to put him under pressure to give tenders to particular companies, a claim Kagwe denied.

He further called on the authority to sell the Covid-19 commodities bought at a higher price at the onset of Covid-19 in the Country, saying the current price will amount to a lesser loss, asserting that Kenyans require to use the Personal Protective Equipment and KEMSA should not be concerned by the loss they will make.