Afrigather The chair of Safaricom, Adil Khawaja, has defended the telco’s involvement in an $800 million authorities contract to digitise the nation’s well being methods. That is at the same time as opposition politicians alleged a battle of curiosity over his legislation agency Dentons HHM’s function within the deal.
Safaricom, Kenya’s most worthwhile public firm, has spent a lot of this week selling the Built-in Healthcare Know-how System (IHTS) that it received in a consortium. The Safaricom-led consortium consists of Konvergenz Community Options and Apeiro Restricted, a agency linked to Indian businessman Gautam Adani by way of an Abu Dhabi-based Holdco.
Whereas Khawaja maintains that the undertaking was conceived earlier than he grew to become Safaricom’s board chair, critics and opposition politicians have pointed at his legislation agency’s illustration of Konvergenz and his shut relationship with President William Ruto as a possible battle of curiosity.
“We gave some preliminary recommendation to Konvergenz. They’re a giant expertise agency that has completed many profitable giant tasks. This undertaking was began by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and it’s only now that we’re seeing its implementation,” Khawaja instructed Each day Nation, an area each day.
Safaricom, which owns a 22.56% stake within the consortium, will present community assist for the undertaking, whereas Apeiro Restricted (59.55%) and Konvergenz (17.89%) will develop the platform. The system will hyperlink all well being services within the nation and retailer medical knowledge.
Dentons HHM can also be Adani Group’s lawyer in a excessive courtroom case difficult the Indian conglomerate’s bid for big-ticket tasks together with the 30-year Jomo Kenyatta Worldwide Airport (JKIA) concession and building of high-voltage transmission strains.
Khawaja stated his legislation agency has over 10 years of expertise in public-private partnerships (PPPs) which the Kenyan authorities has resorted to as mounting public debt lower spending on well being, new roads, energy strains, railways and airports.
Nevertheless, critics have questioned the opacity of the PPP course of, arguing that such tasks ought to be subjected to a aggressive course of.
On Sunday, Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa, additionally defended the undertaking, saying it is going to assist the nation strengthen its well being methods. This was at the same time as critics questioned the monitor file of Apeiro Restricted and Konvergenz Community Options in dealing with such tasks.
“We see expertise as a device for empowerment and transformation. This initiative represents a major step in advancing our ambitions as a purpose-led expertise firm,” Ndegwa stated in a press release.
