Former Garissa County medical services director Abbey Sheikh has said that the move to lease ambulance during the health crisis was undertaken in good faith.
Appearing before the court during the trial of Governor Nathif Jama and six former members of his tender committee, Abbey said that leasing was the best way the county government could have dealt with the crisis at that time.
He told the court that the county governor found it necessary to lease seven ambulances from the Kenya Red Cross Society at Sh600,000 each a month considering the health crisis and increased cases of emergencies that were being expressed in this part of the nation.
According to Abbey, there were many emergencies in the region including frequent terror attacks by the Al Shabaab militia group.
“We needed ambulance services like yesterday. Mothers and children were dying like antelopes in the bush,” Abbey said, as quoted by Star.
He added: “Leasing was the easiest and convenient way to address this health crisis.” Abbey further said that the health department had undertaken a five year situation analysis before opting to hire the ambulances, adding that the information was properly captured.
“Our aim was to provide the highest attainable health services, including reproductive health and emergency services to our people, who were suffering especially in the remote areas. That one we achieved,” he said.
Jamas’s has been accused of misusing public office alongside Safia Mohamed, Abdi Sahal, Jawahir Keinan, Mohamud Hassan Mohamed,Mohamed Hassan and Rahma Dekow
[Governor Nathif Jama at a past function. He has a case in court where he is accused of inappropriately allocating funds.] www.the-star.co.ke