Not KEMSA! Allow counties to procure drugs elsewhere - Oparanya

County Governments should be allowed to source for drugs and medical supplies from other entities not KEMSA.

These were the words of Council of governors chairman Wycliff Oparanya on Saturday.

"...this is to enable them (counties) to adequately respond to the pandemic," Oparanya said.

In a statement to newsrooms, Oparanya urged the High Court to expeditiously dispense the matter challenging the Constitutionality of KEMSA (Amendment) Act.

"We are currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis which calls for urgent solutions," he said.

The County Governments had opposed the amendment to the KEMSA Act by seeking redress at the High Court to challenge section 3 of the aforementioned Act.

The act requires County Governments to procure both pharmaceutical and non- pharmaceutical supplies from the Authority.

Oparanya said the particular section has interrupted service delivery to the Mwananchi as the Authority has failed to fully satisfy medical needs of all the 47 County Governments.

This comes a day after KEMSA CEO  Jonah Mwangi was suspended following allegations that the authority flouted procurement regulations.

Mwangi was suspended alongside Charles Juma (head of procurement) and Eliud Mureithi (commercial director) to allow EACC complete investigations into the matter.

Kemsa has been in the spotlight after it emerged that officials dished out tenders to mysterious entities under the cover of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This came hot on the heels of an audit that exposed procurement and financial irregularities that put at risk more than Sh100 billion of donor funds and taxpayers' money.