Counties Celebrated as KEMSA Champions Smarter Health Supply Chain at National Workshop
KASS Digital
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has wrapped up a powerful four-day national workshop in Naivasha with a bold message: the future of healthcare supply in Kenya must be smarter, faster and people-focused.
Held from July 22nd to 25th, the workshop brought together County Pharmacists from all 47 counties, senior Ministry of Health officials, and KEMSA’s leadership in a rare but vital alignment of voice seeking to unite around the mission of making medical supply chains work better for Kenyans.
“This isn’t just another meeting—it’s a reset,” said KEMSA CEO Dr. Waqo Ejersa, capturing the tone of urgency and ambition that defined the event. “We’re re-engineering our systems so that every shilling counts, every product matters and no Kenyan is left without the medicine they need.”
Themed Delivering As One, the forum focused on reimagining Kenya’s health supply chain through a data-driven lens. At the heart of this is KEMSA’s soon-to-be-launched ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which will be a game-changer that will collect real-time feedback from healthcare facilities across the country and turn it into smart, responsive procurement decisions.
But beyond systems and software, the workshop was also a moment of recognition.
Eleven counties were celebrated for exemplary performance in Health Products and Technologies (HPT) management in the 2024–2025 financial year. These include Machakos, Kitui, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, Mandera, Kwale, Nyeri, Meru, Narok, Kisumu and Busia were each applauded for timely orders, sound credit management and loyalty to KEMSA as their primary supplier.
In addition, 16 County Pharmacists were singled out for their leadership and innovation in managing health commodities. Among them:
- Alex Oindi (Machakos)
- Beatrice Muia (Kitui)
- Brian Muyokani (Turkana)
- Jerusa Oluhano (Vihiga)
- Kepher Mogere (Kisii)
- Nancy Olunga (Siaya)
- Matthew Yegon (Bomet)
Their commitment to timely procurement, debt management, and stakeholder engagement stood out as pillars of what a responsive health system looks like in practice.
“We’re building a supply chain anchored in data, not guesswork,” Dr. Ejersa emphasized. “When our systems reflect the true needs of our facilities on the ground, we don’t just avoid stockout but we also save lives.”
The workshop also doubled as a call to action. Dr. Ejersa urged counties with outstanding debts to settle their dues promptly, warning that delays jeopardize the consistent flow of life-saving commodities.
He also encouraged county governments to embrace the Social Health Authority (SHA) as a key pathway to achieving universal health coverage.
Recognizing the challenges of operating under financial strain, Dr. Ejersa reiterated KEMSA’s commitment to operating under a not-for-profit commercial model, with all revenues reinvested into the national revolving fund.
“We’re becoming leaner, smarter, and more efficient,” he said. “Our goal is to raise the Order Fill Rate above 90% and this workshop is just the beginning of that journey under our 2025–2030 Sustainable Growth Strategy.”
