Mung’aro Sister Implicated in Drug upply scandal as patients struggle in health facilities

By Edwin Musutia

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro’s sister Vivian Dama Mung’aro is at the centre of a multi-million drug supply scandal that has rocked Kilifi County.

Through Vie Pharmacies Limited, the county may have lost close to Sh200 million despite the health sector grappling with various challenges.

The health departments claims to have spent Sh 323 million to buy drugs but investigations have revealed that some Sh120 million was paid to Vie Pharmacies which is run and managed by the governor’s sister.

The county in its 2024/25 budget set aside Sh650 million for drugs out of a budget of Sh2.6 billion allocated to the health department as a whole.

Documents seen by the writer indicate Vie Pharmacies Limited was registered on 9th August 2023 and is based in Nyali, Mombasa County.

Vivian is registered as a shareholder and director with the company now handling most of the medical supplies in the county.

There are also questions on how it won tenders for medical supplies despite the existence of other qualified companies that had previously worked with the county.

The fact that it was registered in August 2023 and was ready for tender supplies one year later defeats logic and brings to the fore the rot in the county’s procurement department.

In January this year, police in Kilifi arrested a driver working with the county government’s health department and recovered medical supplies valued at Sh100,000 believed to have been stolen.

This came against the backdrop of reports that the company awarded the tender for medical supplies was colluding with private health facilities to divert the supplies.

Public reports alluded to the illegal sale of drugs meant for public health facilities to private pharmacies.

Despite the governor forming a special unit in the health department to ensure medical products and equipment are supplied to all facilities adequately and on time, it appears its people are so close to the governor who are now perpetrating the vice.

A cross-check at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital and some of the level 4 hospitals has revealed that patients are still being asked to buy medicine and drugs from nearby pharmacies.

Early last year a senior medical superintendent resigned amid forced to sign some corruption dealings on health sector that he was against.

The scheme, as per our investigations, involves cartels from more than three counties, including Taita Taveta, Kibwezi, and Mombasa Counties.

It is also feared that the county ambulances are sometimes used to transport diverted medical supplies.

Meanwhile a section of members of Kilifi County Assembly have raised concerns, pointing out that the health sector had received a substantial portion of county funding, yet services remained inadequate.