Murathe says unaware of Kemsa PPE kits price despite guaranteeing supplier

Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe on Thursday told Parliament that he did not know the price of Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) that he had guaranteed Kilig Limited, a local firm, for supplies to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) now under probe.

Mr Murathe said he signed the guarantee to offer comfort to Chinese firm— Entec Limited—that Kilig Limited would pay it for supply of 50,000 personal protective kits to Kemsa.

Kilig won a Sh4 billion tender to supply 450,000 kits to Kemsa but subcontracted Entec to deliver 50,000 kits.

The outspoken Jubilee official said that Kilig subcontracted the Chinese firm after it failed to raise enough funds to purchase and supply the kits.

The firm has been at the centre of controversy in the tender amid fears that taxpayers lost billions of shillings for the supplies through inflated prices for the PPEs kits. Kemsa later stopped the tender citing budgetary constraints.

“I am not aware of the value of the quantity that I had guaranteed. I told Entec, give them, if they take and they are paid, I assure you that you will be paid,” Mr Murathe told the Public Investment Committee of the National Assembly on Thursday.