An audit into the procurement of Covid personal protective equipment at Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) has revealed that face masks planned to be bought have not been traced, among other irregularities.

The report, by audit firm Graham Carr has shown that in one of the contracts, the price of face masks increased from to  K147 million to K167. 58 million as the increment did not go through due communication. Also,  out of the 100,000 N95 facemasks which CMST procured from Reliance Trading Company, only 83,420 have been traced to various district health offices, as 16,580 masks cannot be traced, according to the report. “This means that the Ministry of Health was billed K29, 436,600.00 more for the N95 masks which have not been traced…” said the report.

Last month, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) warned public officials that they risk answering criminal charges and face disciplinary action if found contravening procurement laws. PPDA Board Chairperson John Suzi Banda said the authority is now vigilant to ensure transparency and fairness in all public procurement exercises. “Every procurement and disposal proceedings should ensure that there is fairness and equal opportunity for every bidder, transparency and accountability and ensures value for money when acquiring goods and services,” he said.