Economy

Murathe to face MPs in Kemsa probe

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Jubilee Party vice-chairman David Murathe. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe is set to face MPs on Thursday next week to explain his role in the Sh7.8 billion Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) Covid-19 supplies now under inquiry.

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee (PIC) says Mr Murathe must appear before it to explain his role in the Kemsa supplies in which Kilig Limited, a firm has been linked to him, got a Sh4 billion tender to supply personal protective equipment (PPE)

Mr Murathe, Mr Wilbroad Gatei and Mr Chan Chao, a Chinese national, were expected to appear before the Abdulswamad Nassir-led committee yesterday but instead, all of them filed an affidavit each detailing their role in the Kilig tender.

The MPs said Mr Murathe’s affidavit admitting that he was a signatory to Kilig’s account at Equity Bank is a clear testimony that he used his closeness to power to influence the issuance of commitment letter to the little known Kilig Limited.

Wajir East Rashid Amin said the committee had been looking for big fish behind the Kemsa scandal and now they have found one.

“This is total ridicule to the committee. Sh4 billion of Kenyan money is not just money for tea. Mr Murathe used his closeness to the executive to influence tender worth Sh4 billion because the Chinese do not know Kenya or Kemsa,” he said

Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang’ said through Mr Murathe’s affidavit, it is clear that the politician used his position to influence payment at Kemsa.

“If his role was to ensure that payment is done to Entec as he has admitted in the affidavit, then it is clear his role was to influence the payment to Kilig, then these are the people we need before us, people who influenced payment at Kemsa,” he said

In his affidavit, Mr Murathe said he has neither been a shareholder nor has he benefited from Kilig or Entec technology Ltd, the Chinese company that partnered with Kilig to supply the Sh4 billion PPE.

“Kilig Limited and Entec technology only requested me to be a signatory to its bank account to guarantee that Entec technology Ltd as the supplier of PPE kits would be paid upon Kemsa effecting the anticipated payment on completion of the procurement process and I obliged,” he said.

Mr Murathe told the committee that he ceased being a signatory of Kilig after Kemsa cancelled its commitment letter to supply the Sh4 billion PPE due to a limited budget.

In his affidavit, Mr Murathe said he was aware that Mr Gatei and Zhu Jumping are the persons who incorporated Kilig and they are also the directors.

Mr Gatei in his affidavit admitted incorporating Kilig with Mr Jumping on January 22, 2020

He, however, said in April 2020, they resigned as directors of and transferred their shares to Collins Bush Wanjala.

He said the company experienced financial difficulty in securing funds to supply the Sh4 billion PPE.

Therefore, Kilig agreed with Entec Technology Limited to supply the PPE. Entec then told Kilig that it wants Mr Murathe to be a signatory at its bank account to guarantee payment once the company receives money from Kemsa.

In his affidavit, Mr Chao, the director of Entec, said he knows Mr Murathe as a respectable high-standing member of society in Kenya.