Kemsa senior director asked to step aside, 23 staff reshuffled

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority has begun the process of recruiting a substantive procurement director.

The board revealed that the authority has been without a substantive procurement director for the past four years.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Kemsa chairperson Irungu Nyakera said the acting director had been asked by the board to step aside to independently respond to audit queries.

The board had initiated audits after taking over the leadership last year.

They said the aim of undertaking regular audits is to identify areas that require interventions and further support.

Nyakera said the internal audit team carried out audits of tenders instituted between July and December 2023.

"In light of the results of the audit and to mitigate them, Kemsa resolved that the acting director in the procurement department steps aside to independently respond to the audit queries raised," Nyakera said.

"Commencement of the process of formal recruitment of a substantive director of the department of procurement in the institution is to enable continuity and long-term planning that arises from the security of tenure." 

According to the chairperson, 23 staff in the procurement department were reshuffled with a key emphasis on those who had stayed at one station for long.

This, he said, is in an effort by the authority to infuse fresh thinking and rejuvenation of departments in the directorate.

Nyakera said that from the audit, it emerged that even though several measures that had been undertaken were bearing fruits, several sub-par practices and oversights were revealed which need urgent redress.

These included lapses in formal communication between assigned officers in the procurement process and some disconnects between the outputs of evolution committees and the award process.

He noted that tenders that had not met the standards were cancelled and will be readvertised in the coming weeks.