Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Mutahi Kagwe faced tough questions during his vetting over the 2020 KEMSA procurement scandal, in which billions of shillings were lost in the procurement of COVID-19 medical supplies.
A report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealed that KEMSA lost Sh2.3 billion due to irregular procurement processes. The report, tabled in the Senate, detailed how tenders worth over Sh9 billion were awarded without budgetary approval, board authorisation, or proper oversight by the Ministry of Health.
One glaring example was the awarding of a tender to an unqualified bidder without following due process.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments on Tuesday, January 14, Kagwe admitted to procurement irregularities but defended his role, claiming he fought cartels and invited investigators to probe the scandal. "In 2020, there was an abuse of procurement processes at KEMSA and other agencies, including the Ministry of Health.
