The Ethics & Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) boss, Twalib Mbarak, on Tuesday, April 28, issued out a warning to all governors regarding various Covid-19 emergency donations.
"We are telling them that they must account for all the money that they have been given as a result of the campaign against this pandemic,"
Mbarak sent out his warning shot after handing over a Ksh1.2 million cheque to the Chairperson of the Kenya Covid-19 Fund, Jane Karuku, geared towards the Government's efforts to mitigate the pandemic.
He went on to elaborate that the Ksh2 billion handed over to the government to combat the virus, in a joint effort between his office and that of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, was not a donation but rather a return of money previously stolen from the government.
"As EACC we'd like to pass a message to county bosses, the governors, and the executives. We are monitoring how this money is being spent, focusing on the prioritization of needs, the procurement processes, conflict of interest."
He further stated that the Commission through its mandate was closely monitoring how the Covid-19 Fund is being spent and that they were watching county government executives tied to the procurement processes.
"People should not be mistaken that because of the emergency, county governments or other public entities will start taking shortcuts under the guise of an emergency. We support emergency measures and quick implementation but shortcuts will not be entertained.
"People who have taken shortcuts or do not follow the procurement process, people who will supply substandard equipment and those who will do some inflated costs contrary to the market value, the commission will take action against them," Mbarak reiterated.
His sentiments come just a day after questions were raised over the purpose of the fund, following an incident of patients stuck at the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital quarantine centre over pending bills went viral.
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Taking to his Facebook account, Gatundu South Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Kuria weighed in on the issue, imploring the national government to take action.
"Dear CS Mutahi Kagwe. Please use part of the Ksh6 Billion World Bank Money, the Ksh4.5 Billion in the supplementary budget, and the Ksh1 Billion from the Private Sector to pay the bills for the recovered Covid-19 patients who are held incommunicado at Kenyatta University Referral Hospital for unpaid bills," he stated.
On Tuesday, April 7, DPP Haji and Mbarak presented the recovered Ksh2 billion as part of efforts to beef up the Covid-19 emergency fund, with President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Monday, April 6, directing that the money be channelled towards the Covid-19 fund.
"The bulk of the money came from deferred prosecutions which we entered with the banks under the NYS program, a number of other plea bargains and voluntary surrender of money by individuals who were to be prosecuted," Haji stated while speaking with Citizen TV's Yvonne Okwara on Thursday, April 9.
