KEMSA Opens Tender For ARVs After Donations Were Shipped To West Africa

At one point, President Donald Trump of the United States of America referred to Africa as a shithole. People condemned him but if he meant Kenya, he was right.

Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has announced an International Tender for the supply of ARVs after the donations from the United States of America through USAID were turned away and shipped to West Africa.

The government of the United States, through USAID, had donated ARVs worth USD 35 million to Kenya. The drugs arrived at the Port of Mombasa in October 2019 but KRA demanded taxes on them.

The US Embassy in Nairobi refused to pay the taxes imposed on the ARVs and asked KEMSA to do it. KEMSA refused to pay the taxes and KRA held its ground.

Frustrated, the US government had to order the drugs to be shipped to another country instead of Kenya. The country is now facing a shortage of a certain type of ARVs.

READ: Termination Of Multibillion Health Project To Cost Taxpayer Ksh 20 Billion

The drugs that had been donated by the US government were enough to help at least 900,000 Kenyans have access to ARVs for free. Around 1.6 million Kenyans are living with HIV/AIDS.

The announcement of the tender few months after the consignment was turned away shows the usual Kenyan corrupt ways of reaping billions from the taxpayer through unscrupulous tenders.

It seems someone had to frustrate the donors to create a shortage of ARVs so that a tender can be opened for the procurement of the drugs so that the corrupt can benefit at the expense of the suffering Kenyans.

Kenyans took to social media platforms on Tuesday to bash the government of Kenya, KRA in particular for wanting to tax donations. By the way, which country taxes donations meant to help the people? Kenya.

The Ministry of Health has remained mute about the issue as Kenyans look at a lingering crisis in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

READ: ARVs Meant For Kenyans Shipped To West Africa After KRA Demanded Taxes On Them