(KDRTV) – Investigations into the KEMSA scandal where billions of money were used to purchase COVID-19 medical equipment have unmasked massive irregularities in the award of tenders.
Most Kenyans were left jobless when President Uhuru Kenyatta shut down the country as part of the measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. It was a hard time for most people in urban areas who asked the President to intervene and ask landlords to reduce rent. The media reported several incidents of rude landlords using crude means to evict poor Kenyans from their houses over unpaid rent. It was a dark time that most people will not want to endure in their lives again.
Hey @DCI_Kenya, since you are now so enthusiastic in arresting and prosecuting "criminals", can we have these also arrested?
They were paid Ksh 84 million to supply 120,000 KN95 masks at an inflated price of Ksh 700 apiece.
You know them. Arrest and prosecute @ODPP_KE pic.twitter.com/dUe3yHhGk2
— Robert Alai (@RobertAlai) August 3, 2020
However, as a majority of Kenyans felt the negative effects of the virus, a select-few, the well connected were making billions of money. Take the story of 30-year-old Ivy Minyow Onyango who has become an instant billionaire (at least on paper) thanks to COVID-19.
In January this year, Ivy registered a company called Kiliq Limited at the Registrar of Companies. This was at a time when we were only reading about Coronavirus in news outlets. The virus was ravaging the Chinese City on Wuhan and very few people expected it to hit Africa.
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A few weeks later our girl was single-sourced and handed a Ksh 4 Billion tender to supply 450,000 pieces of Protective Personal Equipment (PPEs) to KEMSA. Each complete PPE kit includes an N95 mask, a bodysuit, goggles, waterproof shoe covers and gloves.
This was the first big tender the firm was awarded after being formed. KEMSA was not bothered by the fact that she had no ability to supply such a big a consignment especially within the set timelines.
The National Assembly also revealed that the tender was inflated; Each PPE was procured at Ksh 9,000 which was double the market price of Ksh 4,500.
Further investigations have revealed that a powerful Jubilee politician is behind Kiliq Ltd. The man has a reputation for securing multibillion deals from government agencies and selling them to suppliers for a handsome fee. He is so clever that his name does not exist in any of the deals.
