New cabinet war

Cabinet ministers Anyang’ Nyong’o and Beth Mugo are locked in a vicious battle for control of departments in the former Ministry of Health.

As the Grand Coalition Government completes its first year in office on Saturday, February 29, the wrangles between Prof Nyong’o and Mrs Mugo are just an indication of some of the problems experienced by the Grand Coalition Government.

In the latest spat, Prof Nyong’o has written to Mrs Mugo complaining about alleged interference in the department of nutritionists and dieticians.

‘‘You are aware that the nutritionists and dieticians department is in the Ministry of Medical Services under provisions of the relevant Act, 2007 and the legal notice no 130. While I was away last month, you started to issue instructions to my officers and to appoint personnel without due regard to the established law. This should cease”.

The February 21 letter is copied to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Civil Service head Francis Muthaura and the PSs in the two ministries.

While the two ministers wrangle, their dockets have come under sharp focus over the disappearance of billions in international aid for malaria and TB and more recently the shortage of essential drugs in government clinics.

Their tiff follows last week’s much-publicised quarrel between Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua on the one hand and Agriculture minister William Ruto and his Energy counterpart Kiraitu Murungi on the other.

The quarrel, during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Kibaki at State House, Nairobi, arose from accusations regarding the sale of maize from the National Cereals and Produce Board. But both President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga, while admitting that the government faced some problems and challenges in its first year, predicted a bright future.

The President and PM also enumerated achievements attained during the past one year.

Mrs Mugo did not immediately respond to the letter but aides complained that Prof Nyong’o’s letter had been leaked to the news media.

The wrangles have led to the two ministers appointing different directors to the National Aids and STI Control Programme.

Dr Nicholas Muraguri is the director appointed by Mrs Mugo from the Ministry of Public Health, while Prof Nyong’o, the Medical Services minister, has named Dr Mohammed Ibrahim to the post.

The country also did not have a Poisons and Pharmacy board which is critical for the registration and operations of pharmacies for five months. Prof Nyong’o gazetted a new board two weeks ago but the team is yet to be inaugurated.

And Mrs Mugo has called a meeting on Wednesday of distributors and marketers of pharmaceutical products to see how they can help in getting malaria and TB drugs which are reported to be in short supply in government health centres.

Largest Cabinet

At a recent news conference, Mrs Mugo said operations of Nascop are 80 per cent in her ministry and only 20 per cent in Prof Nyong’o’s.

The coalition government, which has the largest Cabinet in history, split ministries to appease members of the PNU and ODM parties following the power sharing agreement in February last year. However, power struggles in ministries started as soon as Mr Muthaura released the presidential circular No 1 in April last year which gave ministers conflicting responsibilities.

In the Ministry of Medical Services, the running of dispensaries and health centres were taken to public health, a move Prof Nyong’o protested against.

The tension in the two ministries caused a reshuffle of permanent secretaries James Nyikal and Hezron Nyangito, who were replaced by Prof James ole Kiyiapi for Medical Services and Mr Mark Bor to Public Health.

Dr Nyikal was taken to the ministry of Children’s Affairs while Dr Nyangito was posted to Central Bank of Kenya as deputy governor.

The issue of staff deployment sparked the rift when Mrs Mugo reshuffled provincial medical officers, a responsibility that falls under the portfolio of Prof Nyong’o.

Last year Prof Nyong’o said the World Health Organisation had withheld the malaria fund over corruption allegations but Mrs Mugo hit back saying the fund was under her ministry and nothing of the sort was going on. She later travelled to Geneva to lobby for the reinstatement of the fund.

Last week Prof Nyong’o said there was a shortage of anti-malaria drugs a development Mrs Mugo denied, saying the country had more than enough drugs. Whereas Prof Nyong’o said available stocks would last seven months, his counterpart insisted that the available stocks would last two years.

Placed orders

Mrs Mugo told a news conference that there was no shortage of either malaria or TB drugs. “Currently, my ministry has placed orders for the delivery of 16.5 million anti-malarial drugs…So far, 9.5 million doses of the medicines have been delivered and distributed countrywide, while the remaining seven million doses will be delivered by the end of March,” Mrs Mugo said.

Reported by Kenneth Ogosia, Gatonye Gathura and Mike Mwaniki