Employees at the Ministry of Health are currently being investigated over claims of selling blood outside the country.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is carrying out investigations on how staff at the ministry trade in donated blood within and outside Kenya.
Mr Kagwe did not give further details on the scandalous trade.
“We have asked the DCI to intervene and investigate sale of blood outside the borders of this country. Investigation is ongoing and we expect arrests to be made,” he said.
The Health ministry, which is in charge of blood donations in the country through the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS), for the past 15 years relied on the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar).
Pepfar supported blood collection, testing and policy issues in the country.
Pepfar cut funding last year leaving the ministry in a dilemma on how to ensure blood supply is at an optimum.
Pepfar, the cornerstone of US global health assistance, wanted to ensure quality assurance of HIV/Aids programmes in the country.
KNBTS records show these services were once done at hospitals, and it was cumbersome to ensure the transfused blood was “clean” of diseases.
From 2004 to present, Pepfar has disbursed Sh7.3 billion, which catered for 100 per cent of the services from a centralised point: buildings, vehicles, payment of staff, blood collection and screening for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C, information systems and even policy guidelines.
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