President William Ruto has criticised county bosses who claimed that they blindly entered into the multibillion-shilling contracts for medical equipment leasing with the national government.
This comes just a day after the Council of Governors (CoG) Vice-Chairman Mutahi Kahiga told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that governors were kept in the dark about the contracts seeking to supply equipment to county-owned hospitals, including the identity of suppliers, under the National Equipment Service Project (NESP).
However, speaking in Kilifi county on Thursday, the President took a swipe at the county chiefs, saying everything required for the equipment was costed by experts and the national and devolved governments were represented.
“There was a procurement process with counties and the ministry of health represented. There was no obligation by any county to get any equipment from any supplier,” President Ruto said.
“Anyone who says they were forced by the national government to sign any contract, those are conmen and liars. Nobody forced them to sign any contract. You have to be a fool to be forced to sign something and you actually sign it,” the President said.
The president was speaking during the official opening of the Kilifi County International Investment Conference which started on Wednesday.
The President assured the public that fraudulent dealings will not be allowed under his tenure especially in the health sector.
According to Dr Ruto, the national government is committed to ensure that Kenyans will get value for their contributions to the Social Health Insurance Fund without fraudulent dealings that were common under the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
“I will look Kenyans in the eye and tell them that there will be no corruption in the health sector as long as I’m in charge. We must get rid of fraud and ensure Kenyans get value for every cent they spend, including in matters of health,” he said.
The President's remarks could possibly set the stage for a major showdown between the Executive and governors.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ warned that the NESP may end up like the previous controversial Sh63 billion Medical Equipment Service (MES) program which ended up dumping equipment which were not useful at county hospitals.
Meanwhile, President Ruto took the opportunity to outline measures put in place by the Kenya Kwanza government to maintain a conducive environment for investors.
These include initiating Export Processing Zones (EPZ) and Special Economic Zones projects across the country, revitalizing the tourism sector through policies such as the visa-free entry programme, expanding last-mile fibre-optic connectivity among others.
“Kenya has licensed 39 SEZs, with ten located within the coastal economic bloc. These initiatives are driving economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening Kenya’s export capacity,” he said.
The president said that although the digital space has its challenges, it also brings plenty of opportunities for economic growth in the country.
“We must use the digital media space to drive our creative economy. It’s the reason why we are expanding fibre-optic connectivity in Kenya. Though some will want to use it for other purposes like to insult others, it can also be used positively,” he said.
The Head of State called on governors to unlock the untapped opportunities available at the counties.
Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS) Salim Mvurya said counties are moving from being units to real destinations where investments should be taking place.
He gave an assurance that his ministry will continue to work closely with counties so as to enable them to be real champions of investments in the country.
Host governor Gideon Mung’aro on his part stated that the county is ripe for investments in diverse sectors including manufacturing, mining and tourism.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment recently Gazetted a 2,000-acre SEZ in Vipingo through a partnership between Centum PLC and Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms.
