Three top health officials have been arrested over the disappearance of mosquito nets worth 6.8 million in Kisumu County.
The missing nets had been donated by the Ministry of Health to the County Government of Kisumu for distribution in order to boost the fight against malaria.
Police on Thursday morning received a report that nets meant for distribution to households in different parts of Nyando Sub-County had been stolen.
The nets that could not be traced had been kept at Nyan’gande and Rabuor Sub-County hospital.
Amongst the top county officers from the health department who were arrested on Thursday and taken to Ahero police station included the acting in charge of Rabuor Sub-County Hospital Teresa Anyango Otieno.
Also arrested is the officer in charge of the net distribution at Nyang’ande Hospital identified as Cynthia Akinyi and David Ouma Ojuma.
Kisumu County Police Commander Samuel Anampiu who confirmed the arrests, said police are also looking for the officer in charge of Rabuor Sub-County Hospital.
The Investigators are also pursuing another suspect identified as Samuel Owino. who is believed to be the mastermind of the net loss.
On Thursday morning, agitated residents of Rabuor stormed the hospital demanding to be issued with the nets.
” We cannot tell when the nets were delivered to the hospital and the persons who received them. The nursing officer and the pharmacist are the persons who are required to receive the consignment,” said a source.
A source at Rabuor Hospital said that staff left for home on Wednesday evening, the nets were there.
“We have raised concerns over the disappearance of items at the hospital but the suspects are usually covered by our bosses at the county headquarters,” added the source.
” The head of the Malaria program in the county and the project coordinator informed our officers that they had established that 181 bales of mosquito nets were missing from Nyang’ande hospital and another 160 was missing from Rabuor Sub-County hospital. One bale carries 50 mosquito nets,” said the county police boss.
Two weeks ago, police arrested a pharmacist at Rabuor Sub-County hospital over the disappearance of antimalarial drugs. The matter is pending Investigations.
The county police commander said the suspects in the case of the missing net will be arraigned once Investigation is completed.
By Darlington Mose
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