Taita-Taveta Assembly suspends implementation of medical oxygen bulk storage plan

The County Assembly has suspended the implementation of the multi-million shillings’ medical oxygen bulk storage plant.

The plant was Voi County Referral and Taveta Sub County hospitals.

This is after the supply chain management department officials failed to convince the House how the tender was advertised and awarded to a company to implement the mega project.

The County Assembly Committee on Health Services queried the manner in which the tender was advertised and awarded to the BOC company claiming it was single-sourced.

Documents tabled in the house indicate that the installation costs of the two projects is more than Sh13 million while the county administration is required to pay more than Sh1.6 million in monthly charges.

The House heard that even the largest referral hospitals in Kenya have not installed the bulk oxygen plants which are expensive to maintain.

Unsustainable project 

“The project is unsustainable and unaffordable to the county administration that is reeling under low revenue collection,” Reverend Frank Mmare told the House Speaker Meshack Maganga.

The decision to stop the project came after the Health Executive Daniel Makoko and his County Chief Officer Christine Mwakera told the assembly committee that they were not aware of the project.

“I was recently transferred to the Health ministry and I am not aware of the project as it has not been bought to my attention during handing over by my predecessor,” Mr Makoko told the house committee.

Dr Mwakera told the house that only a simple oxygen plant was manageable.

“I am also not aware of the project and its requisition and its tendering process,” she also stunned the house.

Reverend Mmare claimed that the tender awarded to BOC Company was single sourced and shrouded in secrecy and should be suspended.

“The county government cannot pay over Sh1.6 million monthly for the filling of oxygen at the two hospitals due to financial constraints,” said the Jubilee legislator.

There was uproar in the house after a senior supply chain management officer told the house that the tender to implement the project had already been awarded.