On November 28, NHIF CEO Geoffrey Gitau Mwangi and acting Finance Director Wilbert Kiplangat Kurgat were released on a bond of Sh1 million each and a surety of a similar amount by Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi.

They were arrested and charged with conspiracy to defeat justice and disobedience of a lawful order in relation to the NHIF scandal. It is interesting to note that no other charges have been pressed against them.

The matter arises as to who is responsible for the theft of nearly Sh2 billion from NHIF. Abdul Galgalo Munishram, the Director of Messer’s Munshiram International Business System, unexpectedly finds himself ranked at number 10 on a list published by DPP Noordin Haji.

His company specializes in software development and consultancy, particularly in payment systems, management systems, card-based systems, and systems integrations.

NHIF had contracted his company to implement a fully biometric system, which was expected to take three years to fully deploy. Former CEO Geoffrey Mwangi, who is now facing corruption charges, had announced the plan and revealed that NHIF had already registered all civil servants to a database that the biometric system would refer to.

Additionally, 1,370 hospitals were equipped with biometric kits as part of a test pilot program. The idea was that Kenyans would not need to produce their NHIF card at any health center, as they would only need to place their finger on a machine, similar to the process during the 2017 general election, to access affordable health services.

However, this ambitious plan was marred by the involvement of cartels, similar to what happened with the NYS scandal. Abdul Galgalo Munishram, a long-time business partner of Aden Duale, a prominent politician, was introduced to a senior Rift Valley politician, and what was supposed to be a legitimate business deal turned into a multi-billion scandal.

source:facing161.rssing.com