Kemsa under siege as EACC detectives storm offices in a five-hour operation

Armed with a search warrant, detectives attached to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission stormed the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) offices on Wednesday morning.

For over five hours, no one was allowed to go inside or outside the building as the EACC detectives ransacked the place.

The detectives carted off electronic gadgets, computers, and documents in the ongoing investigation over alleged misuse of Covid-19 cash.

The operation started at 8:30 am and ended at 13:15 pm.

In a statement to newsrooms, Kemsa's Public Relations Manager, Elizabeth Mwai said staff cooperated with EACC officers as the agency seeks to have the matter dealt with speedily.

On Tuesday, Kemsa top officials, including chairman Kembi Gitura and suspended chief executive officer Jonah Manjari, were grilled by EACC detectives for over eight hours.

Before their session with the detectives, the Kemsa officials had faced MPs where Manjari cut the figure of an innocent man who had conducted his duties diligently.

But Manjari's bosses had only earlier tried to paint him as an incompetent manager after he claimed that the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and Principal Secretary Susan Mochache had coerced him to ensure certain companies were awarded tenders for Covid-19 mitigation related materials.

EACC is investigating the possible loss of funds after allegations that Kemsa misused part of the Sh2.1 billion cash it received from the government and donors for Covid-19 mitigation efforts.