Kenyatta University Teaching, Research and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH) is on the spot after it emerged that the facility irregularly used public funds to pay 50 medics in the Seychelle.
The medics had been recruited and sent to work in the island country in a Covid-19 response campaign.
According to a special audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu on how Covid-19 funds were used between March 13, 2020, and July 31, 2020, the salaries of the medics was deducted from the Covid-19 funds.
The Covid-19 kitty was largely financed by loans from Kenya’s development partners and thus the move by KU Hospital subverts the Public Finance Management Act. .
Gothungu revealed that Kenya received Ksh214.91 billion during the period under review to fight the pandemic.
The loans were as follows; Ksh113.18 billion from the World Bank, Ksh78.33 billion from the International Monetary Fund, Ksh22.41 billion from the African Development Bank, Ksh638.31 million from the European Union, and a Ksh350 million grant from Danida.
The money was meant for the Covid-19 emergency response support and public accountability and services, among other programmes.
The reason why Kenya decided to help Seychelles is unclear, yet the latter has a higher GDP per capita.
“The 50 newly recruited staff are serving in another country institution contrary to the purpose of the funds,” the audit says.
KU hospital had received Ksh1.3 billion from the Covid-19 fund during the period under review and as of October 2020, it had used Ksh203.54 million.
Appearing before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC), acting CEO Dr Victor Njom conceded that the request to deploy medics in Seychelles did not come with any financial support.
He, however, struggled to explain and justify how the money was used.
“So, who gave you the authorisation to hire the 50 health personnel and send them to Seychelles? You used Covid money to finance staff working in another country yet the AIE (authority to incur expenditure) does not support that. What did their work entail?” PAC chairman Opiyo Wandayi posed.
Also, Dr Njom failed to furnish the committee with any documentation indicating the 50 health workers travelled to Seychelles.
“How did they leave Kenya to work in another country without any documentation?” Wandayi wondered.
