The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has recognised 11 counties for exemplary performance in managing health budgets and prioritising the timely procurement of medical supplies.
Machakos, Kitui, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, Mandera, Kwale, Nyeri, Meru, Narok, Kisumu and Busia counties were awarded for consistently placing health at the centre of their planning.
KEMSA said the counties have allocated dedicated budgets for Health Products and Technologies (HPT), honoured payments to KEMSA on time, and made consistent orders aligned with their populations’ health needs.
“This is not just another meeting, it is a reset,” KEMSA CEO Dr Waqo Ejersa said.
“We are re-engineering our systems, policies, and partnerships so that every shilling counts, every product matters, and no Kenyan is left without the medicine they need. The era of blind procurement is over.”
The announcement was made during a strategic national workshop hosted in Naivasha from July 22 2025, bringing together county pharmacists from all 47 counties, senior Ministry of Health officials and KEMSA leadership.
Held under the theme Delivering As One, the four-day forum aimed to accelerate reforms in the country’s devolved health sector and align medical supply systems with real-time health demands.
The event, organised by KEMSA’s Commercial Directorate, also served as a platform to honour counties that have demonstrated a strong commitment to health supply chain management.
In addition to county recognition, 16 individual county pharmacists were celebrated for leadership in managing health commodities. Among them were doctors Alex Oindi (Machakos), Beatrice Muia (Kitui), and Brian Muyokani (Turkana).
Jerusa Oluhano (Vihiga), Kepher Mogere (Kisii), Nancy Olunga (Siaya), and Matthew Yegon (Bomet), all acknowledged for promoting timely procurement, effective debt management, collaboration, and innovative supply chain strategies.
The forum also marked a turning point in KEMSA’s reform agenda, with a renewed focus on data-driven decision-making.
Central to this transformation is the rollout of a new Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) system that captures real-time demand data from facilities and
guides precise procurement.
“We are building a supply chain anchored in data, not guesswork,” Dr Ejersa said.
“Our new ERP system will turn frontline facility feedback into actionable insights. This is how we end stockouts, cut waste, and restore faith in our public health system.”
Dr Ejersa also urged counties with outstanding debts to settle them promptly to ensure uninterrupted access to essential medicines.
He encouraged counties to take advantage of the Social Health Authority (SHA) to expand access to quality healthcare.
KEMSA is operating under a not-for-profit commercial model, reinvesting revenues into the national revolving fund.
Dr Ejersa noted that financial constraints have prompted the agency to rethink its operations and focus on becoming leaner, smarter and more sustainable.
“Our target is to raise our Order Fill Rate to over 90 per cent in the shortest time possible. This is just the beginning of our broader 2025–2030 Sustainable Growth Strategy,” he said.
KEMSA reaffirmed its commitment to building an accountable, efficient and innovative healthcare supply system that serves the health and dignity of all Kenyans.
