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Mercy Mwai @wangumarci

A new report has revealed how counties spent millions of shillings to acquire materials for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic at outrageous prices, days after governors demanded more funds to tackle the disease.

Report by the Controller of Budget (CoB) shows that despite counties receiving Sh13.1 billion between March 13 and July 31 for Covid-19 interventions, they only managed to spend a paltry Sh3.43 billion to address the pandemic.

The report, which was submitted to the Senate ad hoc Committee on the Corona pandemic, says the bulk of funds was spent on fuel, purchase of masks, sanitisers and soap detergents, food rations, bedding and linen, gumboots, accommodation, allowances and the acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment (PPES) at the expense of key medical equipment required by hospitals.

“Timing of the funds release was too close to the end of the Financial Year 2019/20 and some county governments did not prepare budgets for the utilisation of the Covid-19 grant from the national government.

Consequently, several county governments could not withdraw these funds that have remained un-utilised as of July 31,” the report.

Sh13.1 billion from the national government comprised Sh5 billion towards quarantine and isolation expenditure, Sh2.36 billion allowances for frontline health care workers, Sh350 million from DANIDA as a grant support to Level Two and Three health facilities to fight the pandemic, and Sh5.39 billion from counties own funds.

“Low utilisation of funds during the period was as a result of several issues, which included a failure by counties to budget for the Covid-19 grants as the funds were received towards the end of the Financial Year 2019/20 and lack of adequate support by national government institutions during the initial stages of the pandemic,” the report.

Among the counties that spent exorbitant amounts for acquisition of equipment include Bungoma, Kakamega, Kericho, Kiambu, Kisii, Kisumu and Laikipia.

Others are Migori, Murang’a, Nakuru, Isiolo, Nyandarua and Tharaka Nithi counties.

According to the report, seven counties did not report any expenditure towards Covid-19 intervention.

They included Bomet, Embu, Kirinyaga, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit and Nairobi while Mombasa did not provide a report on utilisation of the funds.

In Bungoma, Sh100,000 was spent on supply of Jik detergent, Sh864,000 on supply of bed sheets, Sh1 million on the procurement of cellular blankets, Sh7.4 million on daily subsistence allowances, Sh11.1 million on the purchase of bedding and linen and Sh4.1 million on food rations.

Disposable gowns

County also spent Sh15.2 million on purchase of Personal Protective Equipment and Sh5 million on what is referred to as “emergency fund operations”.

Report shows that Mandera, despite not recording any initiative towards Covid-19, had an outstanding financial commitment amounting to Sh577 million as at July 31, 2020.

A breakdown of this amount shows that the county spent Sh66.8 million on accommodation for front line medical staff, Sh1 million on Jik solution, Sh656,400 on pillows, Sh1.5 million on fuel, Sh2.2 million on bar soap and Sh2.1 million on heavy duty gloves.

It also spent Sh61.7 million on PPEs, Sh35.2 million on face masks, Sh31.6 million on allowances for health workers, Sh30.6 million on hand sanitisers, Sh19.8 million on N95 masks, Sh7.4 million on the Corona task force and Sh6.8 million on face shields.

Another Sh6.3 million was spent on car hire for field staff for three months, Sh5.7 million for hand washing facilities, Sh5.3 million for thermo guns, Sh4.4 million on disposable gowns, and Sh3.9 million on mattresses.

Isiolo County on the other hand, spent Sh3 million on supply of face masks and Sh1 million on food supply and assorted items for street children. 

It also spent Sh30,000 per radio programme on school lessons for 20 weeks and Sh5,000 allowance per session for each of the 50 members of the Covid-19 committee.  

The county spent Sh2.8 million for the supply of 14,000 masks and sanitisers, Sh6 million on the provision of services for doctors, Sh2.5 million on transport services for Covid-19 activities for two vehicles over a two-month period.

In Kakamega headed by Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya, Sh85 million was spent on allowances for health workers, Sh74 million on PPEs, gloves and masks, Sh64,987 telephone costs, Sh36, 600 on publicity and Sh830,000 on waste bins.

On Tuesday, Oparanya led governors in demanding for more money. They  are planning to raise the issue of opaqueness in the use of funds, lack of a structured engagement from the Ministry of Health and the need for authorisation to by-pass the maligned Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) in procurement with President Uhuru Kenyatta in a virtual conference next Monday. 

 In Kericho, the county spent Sh20 million on PPEs, Sh22.9 million on awareness and publicity campaigns and Sh3.4 million on refreshments and catering.

Kiambu, on the other hand spent Sh4.1 million on equipment for face mask production, Sh1.8 million on wages for casuals, Sh70.3 million on dressings and other non-pharmaceuticals, Sh106.6 million on frontline health workers, Sh28.7 million on food rations for vulnerable families and Sh15 million on extra work for Tigoni Hospital.

In Kirinyaga, Sh2 million was spent on sanitisers, Sh2.5 million on N95 masks, Sh196,000 on bedsheets, another Sh252,000 on cellular blankets, Sh1 million on gumboots and hospital beds and Sh526,400 on stand for tanks.

And in Kisii, Sh11 million was spent on supply and production of face masks, Sh43 million on PPEs, sanitisers and fumigation services, Sh17.5 million on catering services, Sh10 million on face masks, Sh16 million on water containers while in Kisumu county, Sh33.7 million was spent on purchase of PPEs and face masks and Sh2.1 million on workers’ allowances.

In Kitui, Sh13.9 million was spent on surgical masks for health workers, Sh6 million on subsistence allowances, Sh47.5 million on other operating expenses listed as disease, surveillance and provision of PPEs, while Sh3.7 million was spent on screening thermometers.

Kitui is the home to Kitui County Textile Centre (KICOTEC), which won its first lucrative deal in 2019 to tailor over 6, 000 uniforms for chiefs and their assistants countrywide.

It is currently among local companies identified by the government to ease the shortage of  PPEs as the world grapples with Covid-19 pandemic.

In Laikipia, Sh68.1 million was spent on PPEs, Sh3.6 million on fuel, Sh4.2 million on allowances for health workers, Sh39.7 million on hospitality and Sh28 million on food subsidies.

In the Coast region, Kwale spent Sh35 million on PPEs and Sh3 million on fuel expenses while in Lamu, Sh3.5 million was used to buy sanitisers from Kemri and Sh1.4 million on surgical masks.

Machakos, which is one of the hardest hit in terms of Covid-19 infections because of its proximity to Nairobi,  spent Sh97 million on allowances for health workers, Sh33.4 million on PPEs, Sh9 million for small equipment and Sh2.7 million on test kits while in Makueni county, Sh25.4 million went to PPEs and Sh6.1 million on medical equipment.

Report comes  at a time when a new survey released on Tuesday showed that that only a third of people living in informal settlements are wearing masks.

Upper class

Survey, conducted by World Customs Organisation showed that across the informal settlements, there were much lower rates of adherence to wearing of masks at 31 per cent with only 48 per cent of them wearing them properly.

“Within the upper classes, the study observed that 100 per cent of the population wore their masks in public places and 96 per cent of them wore them correctly.

It is likely that among the upper class, there is a greater understanding of dangers posed by the virus,” said World Customs Organisation Director LarryLiza.

Migori, whose governor was yesterday charged with corruption in a city court, spent Sh21.3 million on health workers’ allowances, Sh2.8 million on refined fuel hand sanitisers, Sh1.8 million for face masks, Sh14.4 million on detergent soaps and Sh6.7 million on assorted non pharmaceutical items.

Meru on the other hand, spent Sh10.1 million on face masks, Sh1.1 million on hand washing containers, Sh3.5 million on non-woven masks, Sh1.8 million on public sensitisation and Sh1.8million on fumigation chemicals.

In Nyamira, Sh2.5 million was spent on hospital linen while in Nyeri Sh60.3 million was spent on allowances for health workers and Sh1.5 million on bed sheets.

In Tharaka Nithi, the highest amount of Sh82.7 million was spent on pending bills, Sh9.3 million on face shields and Sh3.7 million on thermometers.