Revealed: How Covid-19 Equipment Donated to Kenya by Chinese Tycoon Jack Ma was Sold Outside the Country

A new investigation has revealed that more than half of the Covid-19 medical equipment donated to Kenya by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma was sold outside the country.

In a report dubbed #Covid-19Millionaires, NTV investigative reporter Dennis Okari exposed how the equipment found its way to neighboring Tanzania with a few individuals pocketing millions of shillings from its sale.

The donation, which included face masks, testing kits, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), was meant to boost Kenya's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The consignment arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 24th from Ethiopia and was received by Health Ministry’s acting Director-General Patrick Amoth.

Two companies namely, Megascope Limited and Crown Healthcare Limited, were contracted by the ministry to offload the consignment from the airport. Megascope is owned by people who have close ties to powerful government officials, according to the report by NTV.

NTV reported that the equipment was transferred to a private warehouse in Nairobi and later shipped to Tanzania by road and crossed the Namanga border under tight police protection. The consignment was sold to a dozen of Tanzanian companies.

Dr. Godwin Agutu, the Director of Network Action Against Corruption (NAAC), an organization that has been monitoring how Covid-19 funds are being spent, said the remaining equipment was given to some private companies that later supplied them to the government at inflated prices.