The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has said that it has achieved a significant improvement in its Order Fill Rate (OFR), marking a key milestone in its ongoing reforms to strengthen Kenya’s medical supply chain and improve access to essential health commodities.
The authority says the transformation follows a comprehensive reform programme aimed at fixing long-standing challenges such as global supply disruptions, financing constraints, procurement delays, weak forecasting systems, and inconsistent demand planning across counties.
Under the reforms, Kemsa has strengthened demand planning in collaboration with county governments, the Ministry of Health, health facilities and development partners.
It has also improved procurement processes by enhancing supplier performance and reducing lead times to ensure faster availability of essential medical commodities.
The agency has modernised its operations through digital systems, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management Systems, and Logistics Management Information Systems (LMIS), improving stock visibility, order processing, and inventory tracking.
As a result, Kemsa says its Order Fill Rate has improved significantly, with some counties now recording levels above 90 per cent.
The agency says this has translated into improved availability of essential medicines, laboratory supplies, and medical devices in health facilities across the country.
Kemsa notes that the reforms are directly supporting Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda by ensuring patients receive medicines when needed, reducing stock-outs, and strengthening confidence in the public health supply system.
Kajiado county has been highlighted as one of Kemsa’s strongest partners in implementing the reforms, having consistently procured health products and technologies (HPTs) since the rollout of devolution.
The county, which serves a population of about 1,298,095 residents, procures essential medical supplies on a quarterly basis, supporting uninterrupted service delivery across 129 health facilities, including 7 hospitals, 26 health centres, and 96 dispensaries.
Since the start of the 2025/2026 financial year, Kajiado county has procured HPTs worth Sh165,788,691, helping to sustain steady medicine supply across its health system.
Kemsa says timely payments from the county have strengthened its revolving supply model, enabling faster replenishment of stocks and reducing the risk of shortages.
Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku praised the improvements in supply reliability, noting that refill rates from Kemsa have risen significantly.
“We are pleased that we are flagging off health products and technologies from KEMSA worth Sh50 million. We are happy that refill rate from Kemsa has steadily improved, now standing at almost 80 per cent,” he said.
He added that prompt payment by counties remains critical in ensuring an uninterrupted supply of medicines and urged residents to utilise health insurance services such as SHA to improve access to care.
Kemsa Commercial Director Eliud Mureithi said the partnership with counties like Kajiado has been instrumental in improving health service delivery, confirming that the county has not experienced stock-outs due to consistent procurement.
He added that KEMSA has strengthened its logistics capacity, including transport and distribution systems, to ensure last-mile delivery of medical supplies.
“We confirm that the county has not lacked medical supplies because they purchase from Kemsa,” he said.
“We confirm that Kajiado county has not lacked medical supplies because they purchase from Kemsa. We have about 10 trucks and 10 tonnes of medicine supplies here. Kemsa stands for improved healthcare in Kenya, and we are supporting Universal Health Coverage. We are supporting every woman and child in ensuring we have enough medical supplies so that no woman dies during childbirth and children being born realise their full potential through improved healthcare,” he said.
“This year the county has done about Sh200 million procurement of supplies, we commend the counties that have paid timely to Kemsa, and we urge them to continue like that.”
KEMSA says it will continue focusing on supply chain visibility, warehouse modernisation, predictive analytics, and workforce strengthening to further improve efficiency and achieve full customer satisfaction across all counties.
