Judy Mwende Gatabaki, the wife of renowned economist and government advisor David Ndii, has come under public scrutiny over her role in Apeiro Kenya Technologies.
Apeiro is part of a consortium that was awarded a Ksh104 billion contract for the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
However, concerns have since been raised after a revelation that Apeiro Kenya Technologies has ties with the Indian-based company Adani Group.
This follows unrest caused by Adani in Kenya over the yet-to-be-decided Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) takeover deal.
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David Ndii Responds to Critics Over His Wife’s Involvement
David Ndii, who serves as the chair of President William Ruto’s Council of Economic Advisors, has since clarified his wife’s involvement in the deal.
According to Ndii, Judy Mwende Gatabaki was only engaged to help set up local operations after the consortium had already been awarded the tender.
“My wife has been engaged by IHC to set up their local operation. Apeiro Kenya is a project company, they have to rent office space and hire staff. What do you have a problem with?” Ndii responded to a critic.
Furthermore, Ndii said that his wife has worked with several global organizations before noting that it was all business.
“She was engaged after the award of the project. Where is the conflict? She worked for McKinsey before on government projects. Are you suggesting spouses can’t work for organizations that do business with Govt?”
“That’s your problem. They won a contract. They’ve engaged to do it. You call it corruption, we are ok with it,” added Ndii.
Also Read: Court Gives Way Forward on SHIF Implementation
Ministry of Health Clarifies the Consortium
The Ministry of Health on Sunday, September 23, explained that Apeiro would handle the global patient care digitization as part of the consortium.
“To support the implementation of the UHC blueprint, the Ministry of Health has awarded a contract for the implementation of an Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (“IHTS System”) to a consortium led by Safaricom PLC.
“The consortium includes global patient care digitization firm Apeiro Limited (Apeiro Digital), and Enterprise technology firm Konvergenz Network Solutions Limited (KNS),” the Ministry of Health noted in a statement.
According to the Ministry, the move will ensure that every healthcare worker under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has the tools they need to serve Kenyans effectively.
Further, the ministry will also issue 5,000 laptops for the public healthcare workforce.
Additionally, the Safaricom-led consortium will ensure that healthcare workers get reliable internet connectivity and power backup systems countrywide.
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