Allocation of huge budget to Health ministry caused 'theft', Munya says

Allocation of a huge budget to the Ministry of Health without specific roles caused the theft of Sh5 billion, Meru Governor Peter Munya said on Thursday.

The Council of Governors chairman said there was no justification for the ministry to be given a huge amount of money yet counties managed a bigger part of the health docket.

Speaking when he handed over the devolution torch to Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma, Mr Munya said the way resources are shared is not fair, especially in the Health ministry.

“Why would the counties be given Sh45 billion to manage 99 per cent of the health services and leave Sh45 billion to the national ministry, which only runs four hospitals?” asked Mr Munya.

Top ministry officials have been implicated in an internal audit report prepared for the Auditor-General and which has unearthed a possible loss of Sh5 billion.

The money, which is enough to buy 16 state-of-the-art cobalt cancer fighting equipment to supplement the only one at Kenyatta National Hospital, is suspected to have been stolen in the last financial year, according to a leaked report addressed to the Cabinet Secretary, Dr Cleopa Mailu.

OVERSHADOWS ANOTHER

The scandal overshadows the National Youth Service one, in which Sh791 million was stolen through manipulation of the Integrated Financial Management System (Ifmis).

Mr Munya called for the resignation of the implicated officials.

“Since the national government is out to show the counties that they are incompetent by thinking that we cannot handle huge money, we want no stone left unturned and everyone responsible to be locked up,” said Mr Munya.

He said the national government should not question misuse of huge amounts of money yet they had given it to officials to steal.

“They do not employ any health worker, they do not buy drugs ... why would they be given such huge amounts of money, yet counties are suffering with the little they are given?” wondered Mr Munya.

He said in the last financial year, governors were duped by the National Treasury that it had allocated money to compensate counties for the free maternal healthcare but the money was not reaching them.

“Now we know where they have been channelling our money: into their personal pockets and accounts,” said Mr Munya.

CALLED 'CRYBABIES'

The CoG chairman added that, whenever they asked for money, Health Permanent Secretary Nicholas Muraguri would call them “crybabies”, yet he was the culprit.

“He had an interest; that’s why he was very quick to respond whenever the governors demanded money to compensate them,” charged Mr Munya.

Governors have also demanded that donor money meant for vaccines be channelled to the counties so that they can account for it.

“We have been complaining about how the money for vaccines was being utilised, yet we were being labelled crybabies,” said Mr Munya. “Our complaints have been confirmed by the donors.

“Money is being used to enrich some at the expense of others.

“We have discussed this even in the summit and nothing happened because people are putting their interests ahead of those of children and pregnant mothers.”

Mr Ranguma, the CoG’s Health Committee chairman, said they would not rest until the thieves are brought to book.

Calling for the full devolution of health, he said free maternity had been transferred to the National Health Insurance Fund so that officials “can steal more”.