I’m being targeted unfairly, alleges former NHIF chief

Former National Hospital Insurance Fund boss Richard Kerich has accused the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of unlawfully charging him with conspiracy to defraud Sh116.9 million.

Mr Kerich said he was unfairly singled out to face criminal charges for the millions of shilling paid to Meridian Medical Centre and Clinix Healthcare Limited as part of the civil servants and disciplined forces medical scheme.

The former NHIF boss submitted that as an executive officer, he had no role in awarding the contracts to the medical providers and if there was anyone to be charged, then it would be the entire NHIF board of directors.

“Mr Kerich only sat in the board’s meetings as the chief executive officer and the regulations did not allow him to vote on any resolution,” he said through his lawyer. He reiterated that the medical scheme was a Cabinet-approved government project, and that he acted in good faith in implementing it.

The insurer’s two former managers, Mr Marwa Fathili Chacha and Mr David Kipruto Chingi, who were charged alongside Mr Kerich accused the prosecution of wrongfully citing them for prosecution when they did not sit in the procurement board.

The three were making their submissions during the hearing of a petition by two directors of Meridian Medical Centre seeking to stop their criminal prosecution on claims of defrauding the NHIF of Sh116.9 million.

Dr Peter Ngunjiri Wambugu and Dr Ndiba Wairioko claimed that the decision to charge them alongside Mr Kerich, Mr Chacha and Mr Chingi was malicious with no legal basis to support the charges.

Justice George Odunga will deliver a ruling on May 12.