The tender scandal surrounding Kenyatta National Hospital has once again placed former CEO Dr. Evanson Kamuri at the center of corruption allegations that expose the rot in Kenya’s public health sector.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is pursuing a Sh433 million oxygen plant project that was supposed to ease the burden of oxygen shortages at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic but instead collapsed under fraud, forgeries, and mismanagement.
For a man who was entrusted with leading the largest referral hospital in the region, Dr. Kamuri’s handling of the matter has left many questioning whether his tenure was defined more by negligence than leadership.
The oxygen plant was meant to produce 8,000 liters of oxygen per minute and position KNH as a supplier to other health facilities.
Instead, the project dragged on for years with substandard equipment delivered late, including compressors and driers that did not meet the required standards.
A view of the entrance of Kenyatta National Hospital. (Photo: KNH)
Biomax Africa Ltd, the company that won the tender, is accused of using forged certificates, fake staff credentials, and even lying about its past work history, yet the hospital management under Kamuri’s leadership allowed the deal to stand.
The claim that Biomax had supplied Machakos County with a similar plant was proven false, but Kamuri never acted to stop the fraud even after questions arose.
Instead of taking responsibility, the former CEO shifted blame, telling the hospital board that it had no authority to investigate procurement contracts. This position shielded the fraudulent deal and helped it drag on while Kenyans continued dying from lack of oxygen.
When the Ministry of Health transferred the contract to KNH, it became Kamuri’s duty to oversee its implementation, yet under his watch the plant stalled and irregular extensions were granted to the contractor.
At the same time, hospital records show questionable deliveries of liquid oxygen signed off by individuals who were not even hospital employees, pointing to deliberate cover-ups.
The scandal left KNH spending over Sh565 million buying oxygen from private suppliers between 2022 and 2024 because the plant never worked. This financial burden drained the hospital’s resources while patients and families paid the ultimate price during a national health emergency.
Dr. Kamuri’s attempts to defend himself by citing letters to the Health Ministry fall flat when set against the evidence of forged documents, fake qualifications, and his refusal to take decisive action as CEO.
Investigators have already frozen his bank accounts holding over Sh48 million and properties across several counties, raising questions about how a public servant accumulated such wealth during his tenure.
Instead of focusing on building systems to protect patients, Kamuri presided over a deal that enriched a few individuals while undermining the very mission of KNH.
The oxygen plant scandal shows the cost of failed leadership in public institutions. At a time when the country needed strong stewardship, Kamuri’s management choices contributed to waste, fraud, and the loss of public trust. His name will now be tied not to medical service but to a health crisis worsened by corruption. What remains is whether accountability will follow or if this will become yet another high-profile scandal where the main players walk free while Kenyans carry the burden.
