Report: 86pc of staff aware of graft in the sector
By George.Kebaso, May 19, 2023Health staff in the country are aware of rampant corruption in the sector, but go about their duties undeterred with 86 per cent admitting in a new anti-corruption report of their knowledge.
The report released yesterday by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission showed that the staff acknowledged the prevalence of corruption and unethical conduct in the health sector.
The report coming in the backdrop of another Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) scandal valued at Sh3.7 billion showed that an estimated 80.6 per cent of members of the public were aware of this vice. “In addition, 88 per cent and 93.7 per cent of health staff and members of the public respectively admitted that corruption and unethical conduct were widespread in the health sector,” the report which was unveiled by Health Cabinet secretary, Susan Nakhumicha (pictured) at a Nairobi hotel details.
Unethical conduct
While detailing that procurement at the tendering stage was the soft ground where perpetrators scheme to steal, the report shows that the counties were not spared either.
An estimated 59.7 per cent of health staff and 70 per cent of members of the public indicated there was high prevalence of corruption and unethical conduct in health care provision at the county level.
The study, a culmination of a joint research between EACC and UNODC, Eastern Africa, shows that about 65 per cent and 43.5 per cent of the members of the public and contractors respectively admitted that corruption and unethicalness were widespread in health care projects.
The joint research was borne out of the need to undertake an in-depth inquiry into the extent of corruption and unethical conduct in health care projects. The report presents findings on magnitude and processes most prone to corruption and unethical conduct; extent of adherence to public procurement and financial management laws; effectiveness of information management systems; anti-corruption measures in procurement and financial management; and challenges in the implementation of health care projects.
For instance, according to the EACC boss, Twalib Mbarak, certain projects took extremely long periods to complete. “There were instances where completed projects were not in operation. In some cases, the tender sum of the winning bidder, the budgeted amount and the engineer’s estimates were the same, indicating possibility of collusion,” he said.