CS Kagwe Uncovers Fraud by Ministry Mafia

Ministry of Health (MoH) Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday, May 27 admitted to corruption in the ministry while firing a warning to his staff. 

Kagwe, who was speaking in the daily Covid-19 briefing at Afya House responded to a case where a man was charged for using a forged MoH clearance to obtain PPEs.

"This is a case that is continuing with the DCI and it not the only case that is continuing at the DCI. There are other cases within this ministry that are continuing.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe speaking during a presser outside Kenyatta National Hospital, April 2020.
File

"Let me tell you something, this building here called Afya House has some very good people. It has some very committed people. It has people who work day and night, who work so hard in difficult circumstances. But this building has got its fair share of criminals," noted Kagwe.

The CS added that Mofiosos in the Ministry engage in underhand dealings such as the supply of computers, PPEs, pens, and even blood. 

Kagwe noted that some Ministry officials ignore calls to be transferred to various offices around the country which raises eyebrows.

"The officers that we transferred were not necessarily criminals that is normal to transfer around officials every so often in the procurement sector, in the finance sector it is normal.

"This is the sort of place that people get transferred and you find them still sitting here, why would you be transferred and you still want to sit in that same desk, wouldn't it be suspicious if you were me?" revealed Kagwe. 

Kagwe noted that just like any other Ministry, Health also has its challenges and they are willing to honour them and take action.

There was a similar case in which a businesswoman allegedly obtained Covid -19 testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment [PPEs] valued at Ksh. 5 million from a construction firm after forging Ministry of Health tender documents.

Mercy Wanjiku alias Linda Masaka was the suspect at the centre of the fraud hatched at Afya House and is believed to have colluded with procurement officials at the ministry’s headquarters.

Wanjiku allegedly used a fake notification letter for supply of PPEs worth Sh 37.5 million to an agent of Rocketway Construction Limited Company purporting it to be a notification for the award of a tender to supply the protective gear on May 5.

Watch Kagwe's briefing below: