Press kicked out of National Assembly KEMSA probe after request by Wilbroad Gatei Gachoka

Journalists were on Thursday asked to leave the chambers during a probe into the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) scandal.

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee (PIC) was interrogating Wilbroad Gatei Gachoka, one of the proprietors of Kilig Limited a company which is said to have secured a Sh4 Billion tender from KEMSA.

Before press was asked to leave, Mr Gachoka had been asked to explain why the company was sold off at a "nominal value".

"It is your own letter to KEMSA confirming that you could supply 450,000 PPEs on April 6th. And by April 9th you had been given a commitment letter... Between 9th and 14th (when the company was sold) is a difference of six days.

"In your affidavit you have said that you went ahead and transferred your allotted and unallotted shares to Collins Bush Wanjala... You say that you transferred the shares because you though that the sale agreement with KEMSA would be a liability, is this true?" posed the Chair of the Committee, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir.

When pressed to give details on how the company was sold off, Mr Gachoka responded: "Mr Chair there are things I'd be more comfortable to answer without the media being present."

At first Mr Sharrif hesitated to ask the members of the press to leave but later asked them to step out for a while until the Committee had heard what Mr Gachoka had to say.