President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Health to publish details of all procurements related to Covid-19 particularly those undertaken by the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).
The President said the publication of procurement information including winners of tenders is an act of transparency and an anti-corruption measure that should be adopted by all public entities.
“I also hereby direct that the Ministry of Health, within the next 30 days, must come up with a transparent, open method and mechanism through which all tenders and procurement done by KEMSA are available online,” the President ordered.
“This level of transparency and through the use of technology, will go a very along way in ensuring that we have the confidence of our people that those placed in institutions are able to manage the resources of the Kenyan taxpayer plus our development partners in an open and transparent manner,” he added.
The President spoke Monday afternoon at State House, Nairobi during the closing session of the virtual Covid-19 conference on building pandemic response resilience by county governments organised by the Council of Governors.
The Head of State further directed the Ministry of Health to prioritise mental health services saying it was becoming a serious challenge facing a growing number of Kenyans especially the youth.
“I do hereby direct the Ministry of Health to begin working on an action plan (on mental health) that they can present to us when we have a national conference on Covid-19,” the President directed Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.
He said a national conference will be held to review Kenya’s response to the health crisis and develop the country’s post-Covid-19 action plan.
The Head of State attributed the decline in cases of waterborne diseases in the country in recent months to hygiene protocols instituted to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
He said the Covid-19 containment protocols such as regular handwashing should be the “new normal” in Kenya.
“Governors you will agree with me that as a result of some of the measures that we have taken during this particular Covid pandemic, we have seen a massive decline in waterborne diseases,” the President said.
Once again, the President emphasized on the need to prioritize preventive healthcare as the country rolls out Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Deputy President Dr William Ruto who also addressed the closing session reiterated the President’s message on preventive healthcare saying Covid-19 had made the case for having prevention at the core of the county’s UHC.
Dr Ruto said Covid-19 had brought to the fore Kenya’s manufacturing potential as seen through the PPE’s produced by local entities and thanked the President for consolidating national efforts in the fight against the killer virus.
By Pscu
