Controversial portable clinics vandalised, rotting in yard – Weekly Citizen

Almost three years since the government procured 100 modified portable container clinics, the equipments are still lying idle at the National Youth Service yard at Miritini in Mombasa county.
The supplier is alleged to be close to State House operatives through Estama Investment Limited which had been paid 80pc of the Sh1 billion upfront before the facilities were delivered.
The suppliers have been linked to members of Kenyatta family who have influence in the Health ministry and played a key role in the top appointments at the ministry.
The government has been flouting the public procurement and asset disposal Act in the purchase of the portable clinics after it emerged that the 100 portable clinics were never officially delivered.
The supplier was supposed to be paid upon the delivery of the container clinics according to the specification and the government flouted the procurement rule by giving the supplier a down payment of Sh800 million against Sh1 billion before the contract was finalised.
Ministry of Health officials had assumed the role of the contractor and the taxpayers demanded to know if the procurement and asset disposal Act was followed to the letter.
The government had not identified slums and informal settlements where the 100 portable clinics would have been installed.
The purpose of the portable clinics was to enhance maternity healthcare for expectant mothers.
Times back, parliamentary committee on health made an inspection tour of the facilities despite the absence of committee chairperson Saban Chege. Committee vice chairman Swarup Mishra ran the show.
Recently, committee members wondered why the facilities have not been delivered to their respective destinations and installed.

Murang’a women Rep Sabina Chege

The committee’s efforts to be furnished with the contact document between the supplier and the Health ministry were futile.
The container clinics are in a pathetic state and most have rusted and equipment stolen or vandalised.
We have since established that the contractor has declined to deliver the clinics to their respectively destination since that was not in the contact.
Up to now the EACC has failed to make their report on the procurement to the health committee.
The project has stalled because the government lacked enough personnel and medical practitioners to man the facilities.
There have been attempts for the past two financial years to release Sh200 million to clear with the contractor yet the facilities have not reached their intended destinations.
The ministry of Health has made several efforts to lobby for the additional Sh200 million to facilitate the transportation of the facilities.
The government has a duty to convince county governments to accept them and indentify sites where they will be operating from.
During the committee’s fact finding inspection the members resolved not to release the balance payment to the supplier for doing a shoddy job.
They have also resolved not to lobby for the additional Sh200 million to facilitate the transportation of the facilities.
The 100 modified portable container clinics were part and parcel of the Sh5 billion Afya House scandal in 2016.
It would have been cheaper and economical for the government to construct clinic structures rather than incur expenses to import the facilities and taking advantage of informal settlements as a cash cow.
The State House operative is believed to have took advantage of the the situation and dispatched the health committee to the site to do damage control using the Coast regional coordinator John Elungata who accompanied Mombasa county commissioner Evans Achoki to undermine the facts finding tour of the committee.
The issue of 100 modified portable container clinics lying in Mombasa that were part of a Sh5 billion Afya House scandal in 2016 just before the 2017 general elections has deeply divided parliamentary health committee.

Kesses MP Swarup Mishra

During a recent inspection tour of the container clinics there were divisions among members of the parliamentary committee on health chaired by the then chairperson Rachel Nyamai.
At one stage, the committee was thrown into disarray when a member demanded the presence of the contractor and the supplier of the controversial clinics.
The committee had wanted the contractor to clarify on certain issues which are part of the alleged Sh5 billion Afya House scandal.
The inspection of the facility was supposed to be carried out in the presence of the contractor and his supplier but only officials from the ministry of Health were present.
The then committee chairperson defended the absence of the contractor claiming that there were no prior arrangements to travel with the contractor for the inspection tour of the container clinics at Miritini.
At one stage, things changed when Taveta legislator Naomi Shaaban who is majority deputy leader was handed the committee chairmanship after Nyamai admitted she was not in a position to answer some of the questions by members.
Kathiani legislator Robert Mbui walked out of a session by the committee after he differed with the then committee vice chairman Robert Pukose.
Drama began when Mbui was denied a chance by Pukose to ask a question and was told it was journalists’ time to do the questioning.
This prompted Mbui to walk out in protest as journalists and security personnel watched terming the session as a public relations exercise to give the government a positive image.
Before the drama unfolded, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya was at the receiving end and was almost thrown out of the committee session when he became unruly towards his colleagues.
At one time the committee chairperson lost her temper and was forced to issue several stern warnings to the members to abide by the rules.

Naomi Shabaan

Seme legislator James Nyikal took the government to task and accused it of flouting the public procurement and asset disposal Act in the purchase of the portable clinics.
He had said the 100 portable clinics were never officially delivered.
The legislator had accused the government of flouting the procurement rule by giving the supplier a down payment of Sh80 million of the Sh1 billion agreed for the work before the contract was finalized.
At one stage, the parliamentary committee chairperson almost lost control and had to divide the members into two groups.
Nyamai had directed members who are medical practitioners to be under Pukose’s stewardship to physically verify the medical items in each portable clinic.
Then committee chairperson had had asked the government to fast-track the process of installation of the modified portable container clinics.
Nyamai decision to give 100 modified portable container clinics lying at the NYS yard at Miritini in Mombasa county a clean bill of health has raised eyebrows within the committee. One member who talked to Weekly Citizen stated that a section of the members have been bribed and are on the importers payroll.
It is on these grounds, at one time committee members applauded the government’s move to have the modified portable container clinics which they said are of good quality.
The committee had urged the government to fasttrack the allocation of the clinics so that taxpayers could benefit from the facility.
The then committee acknowledged that despite the challenges the government must establish the sites where the facilities will be installed.
The committee admitted that Sh800 million was paid to the supplier before the delivery and installment of the container clinics saying their mission was to find out if they were available.
The committee had plans to obtain more information from the ministry if it had plans to recruit enough personnel to man the facilities.
They had assured taxpayers that the 100 modified portable container clinics will not be a white elephant projects.
The committee said the government had identified slums and informal settlements where the100 portable clinics would be installed to benefit taxpayers.
The main aim of the portable clinics was to provide maternal health care for expectant mothers.
The committee is aware there was an 80 percent down payment for the container clinics before they were delivered.
The members were also aware that there were some technical areas which have to be ascertained because certain building materials were not as per expectation.
Health Ministry official Dr Isaac Odongo, who is also Head of Curative and Rehabilitation Services, is said to have secretly been summoned by Health Cs Cicily Kariuki and instructed to defend the procurement of the portable clinics saying it was in line with Jubilee government’s manifesto to enable informal settlements access medical care.
“The 100 modified portable clinics were brought to improve healthcare in slums,” he had pointed out.
The ministry official clarified that installment of the clinics is the work of the government and not of the suppliers.