Covid-19 spending: Bomet, Kericho have nothing to hide

Bomet County is spending Sh18 million to construct the Koiwa Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre.

The facility will be equipped with 205 beds and is set to ease pressure on the Longisa County Referral Hospital, which is being used as an isolation centre.

The allocation for the centre is from the Sh115 million from the national government for the fight against Covid-19.

The county has also allocated Sh13.5 million to Bomet University College for a study on the socio-economic effects of Covid-19. Tikasan Holdings is the lead company in the construction project.

Tikasan supplied body bags and reusable aprons at Sh1.9 million.

Other companies that have benefited in Bomet include Emiko Construction Company Limited, Floca General Supplies and Cache Suppliers Limited, Wastagi Limited and Tealands Chemist Limited, which are supplying various goods to the facility.

Beds are being supplied at Sh8 million, linen and other assorted materials were priced at Sh2 million, biomedical engineering and machines is sourced at Sh3 million.

Equipment

In the 2019/2020 supplementary budget, the county allocated Sh15 million to purchase a generator, gas installation, purchase of oxygen concentrators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and other Covid-19 supplies.

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) has been paid Sh9.2 million. Uphill Engineering supplied a generator at Longisa hospital at Sh8.8 million. A generator at Koiwa Hospital was supplied by Teequip Engineering Limited at a cost of Sh2.6 million.

Supply of oxygen concentrators at a cost of Sh2.2 million was awarded to Africa Kings Supplies Limited while Moinno Limited supplied beds at Sh2 million.

Tealands Chemist is supplying PPEs at Sh1.9 million and three ply masks at Sh2 million. Neitor Ventures supplied N95 masks, PPEs and respirators at a cost of Sh2 million.

Sierra Springs Hotel, trading as Chang Sierra Springs, was picked as a quarantine centre for health workers. So far, 23 health workers have been quarantined at the hotel in the last three months

As of Monday this week, the hotel had received Sh2.1 million.

The county has also sourced for fuel supply from Kalahari Petroleum Company in Bomet town at Sh2.9 million.

Blood gas analysers are being supplied by Bioguest Kenya Limited at Sh2.3 million while washing machines have been supplied by Tarakon Investment Limited at Sh2.1 million.

Kericho

In Kericho, the county will turn Ainamoi Hospital into a Covid-19 centre at a cost of Sh3.7 million.

The county has also received Sh116 million from the Treasury. Another Sh71.9 million was appropriated by the county assembly in a supplementary budget to cater for the various supplies and services by contracted companies.

Wilsquare Limited has been contracted by the devolved unit to undertake the remodelling of the 60-bed facility.

The county made a decision to remodel an existing unit and equip it as opposed to starting a new facility from scratch as it seeks to raise the bed capacity to the 300 as directed by the national government.