Okoa Momabsa has filed an Access to Information request with the Ministry of Health, seeking the release of agreements, contracts and other documents relating to the Government’s controversial purchase of portable medical clinics in 2015.
The clinics were paid for with KSH 800 million of public money, but have sat unused the past five years. Media reports have stated that it could cost well over KSH 1 billion more to furnish, transport and staff the clinics.
Okoa Mombasa believes that information regarding the clinic deal should be made public immediately, particularly in light of the Covid-19 crisis currently facing Kenya.
“This information is especially critical at this time when the country is faced with a health pandemic that demands availability and use of all medical resources available,” Khelef Khalifa, chairman of Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and an Okoa Mombasa member, wrote in the letter.
“Deploying these Portable Medical Clinics within informal settlements where some of the most vulnerable citizens reside, staffing and equipping them adequately would go a long way in ensuring the right to adequate healthcare,” he added.
The Access to Information request was formally served on 20 May 2020. Under Section 9 of the Access to Information Act, the Government has 21 days to respond to the request.
