Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Health Sabina Chege has urged those who have been appointed as new members for the KEMSA board to ensure the authority performs effectively and for the benefit of all Kenyans.
Speaking at Kangari market in Murang’a, Chege said the new board should properly advise the management of KEMSA and clear corruption claims which has marred the authority for several months.
She welcomed the changes made on the board by the President saying the new members need to restore confidence to Kenyans and donors who have expressed concerns over the management of KEMSA.
“I plead with the new board to ensure protocols and procedures are fully followed and make sure they secure what we have entrusted to them in KEMSA,” she said.
The Board, she said should assist the management of the authority to perform as expected and ensure donors do not pull out of the country.
“We saw organisations like the USAID almost pulling out of the country due to differences and disagreements that hampered delivery of medicine for HIV/AIDs patients. These are some of the challenges we need the new board to sort and restore proper operations of KEMSA,” added Chege.
The Murang’a County MP further said KEMSA is an important body in the health sector noting the authority has already acquired a new storage and cold chains which need to be well utilised for the benefit of the country.
“As a parliamentary committee of Health, we welcomed the changes made by the President. We have no say on who to sit on the board but we are sure the new team will work effectively and ensure Kenyans don’t miss medicine,” Chege further said.
Last week President Uhuru Kenyatta made changes to members of the KEMSA board. This came after the authority was at receiving end following corruption allegations that marred KEMSA in the recent past.
Chege spoke when she inspected ongoing construction of the modern market at Kangari which is being done by the national government.
Meanwhile, Chege lauded the development record of the Jubilee government dismissing those who are aligning themselves to negotiate for the people of Mount Kenya in the next government.
The MP said the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) if it sails through will bring solutions to many challenges people of central Kenya experience.
“Negotiating for the people of the Mount Kenya region is not a bad thing but the BBI has stated how resources will be distributed. So, legislators from this region should support and pass the report which currently is being debated in the national assembly and the senate,” she stated.
Chege continued “those opposing the BBI, especially from the central region, are enemies to local people since resources will be distributed in accordance with population. The region stands to benefit more through BBI than table negotiations”.
By Bernard Munyao
