The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) has recognised 16 outstanding county pharmacists and 11 counties for excellence in health commodity management, during a national forum in Naivasha.
The convention sought to align medical supply priorities with real-time health demands. Kemsa reaffirmed its commitment to reshaping Kenya’s healthcare supply system through technology, transparency, and partnership putting people at the centre of every reform.
The four-day national workshop brought together pharmacists from all 47 counties, senior officials from the Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Health Products and Technologies (DHPT), and KEMSA leadership in what the authority has called a “strategic reset.”
“This isn’t just another meeting it’s a reset. 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,” said Kemsa CEO Dr Waqo Ejersa.
The event celebrated counties that have shown leadership by allocating dedicated budgets for health products, honouring payments to KEMSA on time, and aligning procurement with the real-time needs of their populations.
Recognised counties include Machakos, Kitui, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, Mandera, Kwale, Nyeri, Meru, Narok, Kisumu, and Busia.
Sixteen individual pharmacists were also awarded for their exemplary leadership in health supply chain management. Among those honoured were Dr Alex Oindi (Machakos), Dr Beatrice Muia (Kitui), and Dr Brian Muyokani (Turkana), celebrated for innovations in procurement and their commitment to stakeholder collaboration.
“We’re building a supply chain anchored in data, not guesswork. 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 said.
The new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, now being rolled out, will enable real-time tracking of demand and support precision procurement. It is a central component of KEMSA’s broader 2025–2030 Sustainable Growth Strategy. “This is about more than moving boxes, systems, and stocks. It’s about saving and transforming lives. When county pharmacists tell us what’s needed and we act on it with speed and accuracy, we save lives,” he said.
He urged counties to clear pending debts to Kemsa to prevent disruption in supply of essential medical commodities. He also called on counties to take advantage of the Social Health Authority (SHA) as a pathway to universal health coverage.
“As a not-for-profit agency, we reinvest every shilling back into our revolving fund. To keep our pipeline strong, we must remain sustainable, smarter, and leaner,” he noted.
