The government has said it cancelled procurement of locally assembled hospital beds that were to be bought from two young men from Githunguri, Kiambu County due to internal wrangles.

President’s Delivery Unit (PDU) says State House also changed its mind after it discovered that one of the said partners in the business faced several criminal allegations.

According to PDU, intelligence reports the government obtained revealed that 26-year-old Mungai Gathogo was facing at least three cases on fraud and obtaining money by false pretense.

PDU revealed that when its Secretary Andrew Wakahiu visited the said workshop in Githunguri only a single bed was found making it difficult for the government to proceed with the tender.

Speaking in Githunguri flanked by Gathogo, Wakahiu also blamed wrangles on the ownership of the workshop that claimed to be behind the manufacture of the ICU beds for the turn of events.

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“After we visited and made the offer, the vicious arguments on the control and management of the company between the two innovators and a man who claimed to the real owner of the firm and that he had only contracted the duo to help market the beds emerged,” Wakahiu said.

He revealed that State House had offered to purchase beds already made as alleged by the two young men only to find none ready and a lorry hired being forced to return to Nairobi empty.

In media interviews and on their social media pages, Gathogo and Joseph Muhinja claimed they borrowed Sh3.5 million to import materials for the beds and to train more labourers to help.

“We came here prepared to buy all the beds, and other materials these young men claim to have made or procured. Regardless of the controversies around the young man and the firm’s ownership, as a government, we don’t want their lives ruined by debt,” added Wakahiu.

But Kiambu Woman Representative Muthoni wa Muchomba pleaded with the government to forgive Gathogo and buy the beds, saying it was normal for men in Kiambu to get into trouble.