A looming scandal at the Ministry of Health that is likely to cost Kenyan taxpayers a whooping Ksh 8billion has been exposed.
Reports by the People Daily indicate that plans are underway to have the Ministry acquire CT scan equipment at Kh235m each.
However, the actual market value of the machines is projected at Ksh75m per machine which equates to a 30 percent inflation in unexplained circumstances.
[caption caption="CT scan machine"]
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On its part, the National Treasury is said to have already paid Ksh1.7 billion on behalf of the Health ministry.
This is despite the fact that the purchase of the 37 CT scanners at a cost of Ksh8.7 billion had not been sanctioned by the parliament.
The source indicates that the scandal was unravelled after the Treasury appeared before the National Assembly Budget Committee in April seeking the approval of Supplementary Budget to procure the equipment.
The National Treasury is expected to provide 20 percent of the total amount while the remaining 80 percent will be financed through a bank loan procured from China.
Parliamentary Budget Committee is said to have questioned why the ministry settled on purchasing the scanners contrary to the government's policy that advocates for leasing.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa, who chairs the Committee, indicated that they had raised concerns about the cost of the equipment.
[caption caption="Ministry of Health headquarters"]
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"We had asked Treasury and the Ministry of Health to provide information on the type of machines to be purchased, market value among other details," Ichung'wa is quoted.
"It has become a habit for the National Treasury to make payments for projects which are not an emergency in nature.
"We have questioned why the payments are rushed," the Kikuyu legislator lamented of the apparent collusion between the National Treasury operatives and top officials from different ministries who use Supplementary budgets as a new avenue for looting taxpayers money.
The Treasury, however, defended the move indicating that the inflated price will also cover for the construction of buildings to house the machines, training of radiographers and maintenance of the CT scan machines.
