Senators turn heat on KEMSA Board as grilling session almost turns physical

Senate Committee probing rot at Kenya Medical Supplies Authority KEMSA and officials from the body almost exchanged blows during Friday’s heated session.

The session, according to Citizen Digital, was purely characterized by name calling as the KEMSA Board’s Chairman Kembi Gitura was put to task to explain how he thought he was not part of the scandalous public officials at KEMSA.

Senators in the committee pinpointed several leaked emails he had send to his juniors at KEMSA to carry out some procurements which he appeared to deny despite obvious clues being there.

Gitura made the first obvious mistake when he defended his board by saying they do not micromanage activities at KEMSA but they only guide where necessary and during budget approvals at the start of every financial year.

Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, shooting from both barrels, was first to sought knowing about tones of emails which the Board was directly involved in.

“Why is it that the chair of the Board is saying that he does not have a role in procurement yet you are directing that the contract be signed immediately?” he posed.

Gitura responded with a rude answer saying those were simply allegations without proper backup terming any email in their position as leaked communication which cannot be authentic in the eyes of any right thinking mind.

“Are you through? Whoever alleges must prove. You should ask me for the email instead of looking at leaked documents,” he responded.

That far, the Adhoc Committee was yet to be satisfied with the answers as they had to stop him from issuing lectures.

“Don’t lecture us! Why were you writing this letter if you were not involved? You were giving orders to the CEO yet you say the Board only gives guidance. You wrote expressly “my instructions are that the contract be signed not later than noon.” Kisumu Senator Fred Outa.

And it was at this particular point that Mr. Gitura interjected with another disrespectful answer saying no one will force him to be wrong.

“You will not force me to be wrong. Understand so that you do not sensationalize the issue. If the tender had not been signed and the tender period lapsed, we would now be blamed for letting a tender period be lapsed so that we start all over again,” he answered.

This is happening even as the Auditor General, Ethics and Anticorruption Commission EACC and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations DCI are still going on with their investigations following the recent presidential directive.