The other side of Kiambu man who was awarded KSh 32.5 million hospital beds tender 

BY KEVIN KOECH

Details have emerged imdicsring that one of the youthful innovators who were awarded KSh 32.5 milliom hospital beds tender vied for Kiambu senatorial seat in 2017 elections.

On Wednesday, July 15, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered 500 hospital beds from Mungai Gathogo, 26, and Joseph Muhinja, 35.

Speaking to a local publication on Thursday, July 16, Gathogo confirmed its true that he was in the 2017 ballot but bailed out at the primaries.

“Yes, its true I vied for the senatorial seat in 2017 but I did not make it to the ballot. As a youth, I was trying it out and things didn’t go well for me, I dropped out at the primaries,” he said.

On his business, Gathogo said he had been selling sanitisers and face masks prior to opening his workshop.

“I was selling sanitisers and face masks, but then I found the market had been saturated and that is when the thought of the hospital beds came to my mind because they were in high demand,” he said.

The youthful innovator said he started his business over three weeks ago and when he posted his first bed on social media people could not comprehend what he was making because it was in its early stages.

He said he had posted his beds on his Facebook page and he had no idea there was another artisan making similar beds.

“I only realised three days later after I had posted my beds on my Facebook page, Meshack’s video came later,” he said.

Asked on whether his political interests had anything to do with the tender, Gathogo said he didn’t even expect government officials could visit his workshop in the first place leave alone knowing officials in the PDU team.

“My political interests had nothing to do with the tender I was given. Because I had not invited anybody here, of course, I like politics and I am a supporter of Deputy President William Ruto, I even didn’t know the head of the PDU until yesterday,” he said.

Gathogo said on Thursday he visited Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to kick start process of getting the beds evaluated to assess if they meet standards before he would start mass production.

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