Richard Ngatia, BBS Mall Owner Among Billionaires Who’ve Won Ruto’s Sh200 Billion Medical Equipment Deal

Prominent business leaders secure lucrative contracts under new National Equipment Support Programme

A constellation of Kenya’s wealthiest businesspeople, including billionaire Richard Ngatia and BBS Mall investor Abdiweli Mohamed Hassan, have secured a share of President William Ruto’s ambitious Sh200 billion medical equipment modernization programme.

The National Equipment Support Programme (NESP), launched last week, represents one of the largest healthcare infrastructure investments in Kenya’s history, with seven companies contracted to install and maintain advanced medical equipment in county referral hospitals nationwide over the next seven years.

The Big Winners

Richard Ngatia, whose company Megascope Healthcare previously faced scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic procurement scandal, has emerged as a key beneficiary through his firm’s contract to supply ultrasound machines to county hospitals. The billionaire, who served as president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and owns the popular Galileo Lounge, brings significant experience from the previous Managed Equipment Services (MES) programme.

Ngatia, who owns Megascope Healthcare, reportedly earned billions of shillings after winning a tender for the supply of theatre equipment to all county governments under the previous administration, positioning him as a veteran in Kenya’s medical equipment sector.

Perhaps the most prominent name in the new contracts is Abdiweli Mohamed Hassan, whose company Sunview Medipro International will install CT scan machines in two referral hospitals in each of Kenya’s 47 counties. Hassan’s business empire includes the massive BBS Mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi, which spans 130,000 square metres and ranks among Africa’s largest shopping complexes.

A Controversial History Resurfaces

The selection of these contractors has drawn attention given the mixed legacy of Kenya’s previous medical equipment programme. Ngatia’s Megascope Healthcare “shot to infamy at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya and saw Ngatia implicated in the multi-billion ‘Covid Billionaires’ procurement scandal – in which billions of taxpayer funds were allegedly lost to inflated, irregular” procurement processes.

Additionally, in a September 2020 Senate report, Megascope was linked to the Sh63 billion Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) medical kits scandal.

Business lady Mary Wanja Ibutu, whose Angelica Medical Supplies Limited will provide dialysis services under NESP, also carries baggage from the previous programme. She faced conflict-of-interest questions in 2020 when it emerged she supplied Covid-19 testing kits to the Kenya Bureau of Standards while serving on its committee.

Revolutionary Payment Model

Since June 2025, President Ruto said over 60,000 medical services have already been delivered in 29 health facilities across 18 counties under this project. The new programme represents a fundamental shift from the previous leasing model to a fee-for-service approach that promises to address longstanding inefficiencies.

Speaking at State House, Nairobi on Thursday, August 7, Ruto said the National Equipment Services Project (NESP) will allow hospitals to access diagnostic and treatment tools without any upfront payments, as the government will reimburse service providers for each use.

Under the previous MES programme, counties paid Sh100 million annually in leasing fees regardless of equipment usage. The new model ensures payment only when equipment is actually used, with costs channeled through the Social Health Authority (SHA) rather than county budgets.

The first phase of NESP targets deployment of 98 CT scan machines (two per county), two mammogram machines, 400 operating theatres, and 400 laboratories nationwide. The programme covers advanced equipment for cardiology, oncology, neurology, pulmonology, urology, and gastroenterology specialties.

Sunview Medipro has already begun deliveries, installing Lamu’s first 128-slice FujiFilm FCT iStream CT scan at King Fahd County Referral Hospital on July 3, 2025. Five county referral hospitals, including facilities in Mandera, Kisumu, Kerugoya, and Wajir, have received advanced CT scanners.

International Partnerships and Local Connections

The seven contracted firms blend local business acumen with international manufacturing partnerships. Sunview Medipro has partnered with global manufacturers including GE, Fuji, and United Imaging. The company, registered in April 2024, is backed by investors from the United Arab Emirates.

Other significant players include Caring International, associated with KNCCI chair Dr. Erick Rutto, which will supply MRI machines. Dr. Rutto previously co-owned the company with Lyn Ashley Toroitich, though latest filings show Toroitich as sole shareholder.

International firms also feature prominently: Melco Kenya Limited, owned by Hong Kong’s Melenco Holding Limited, will supply X-ray machines, while UAE-based Obaidulla Contracting and Provered Technologies round out the consortium.

The programme emerges from the mixed legacy of MES, which cost the government Sh57.048 billion by June 2024 against a projected total of Sh79.5 billion. The National Equipment Service Program (NESP) is designed to ensure continuous access to medical equipment in county health facilities across Kenya. Launched after the expiration of the Medical Equipment Service (MES) program in December 2023, NESP builds on the successes of MES.

President Ruto frames NESP as addressing healthcare accessibility challenges that have long plagued Kenya’s public health system. He described the new initiative as a good example of what can be achieved through collaboration between National and County governments.

However, questions remain about oversight and value-for-money considerations given the contractors’ controversial histories and the programme’s massive scale. The success of NESP will largely depend on whether the new payment model can deliver better outcomes than its predecessor while avoiding the procurement scandals that marred previous healthcare initiatives.

As Kenya embarks on this ambitious healthcare transformation, the involvement of established business figures like Ngatia and Hassan signals both the programme’s commercial significance and the continuing influence of well-connected entrepreneurs in major government contracts.