NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s push for smarter, data-driven healthcare just got a major shot in the arm. The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is shaking things up in Naivasha with a national workshop that’s anything but business as usual.
The four-day forum, which kicked off on July 22, is bringing together County Pharmacists from all 47 counties, top brass from the Ministry of Health, and KEMSA’s own leadership for what’s being called a “reset” of the country’s health supply system.
At the center of it all? A bold plan to ditch guesswork and embrace real-time data when it comes to getting medicine where it’s needed most.
“This isn’t just another meeting,” said Dr. Waqo Ejersa, KEMSA’s CEO. “We’re re-engineering how we think, how we plan, and how we deliver. Every product matters. Every coin counts. And every Kenyan deserves access to essential medicines without delay.”
Organized by KEMSA’s Commercial Directorate, the forum is spotlighting counties that have made health a top priority—not just on paper, but in how they budget, order, and pay for their medical supplies.
Counties like Machakos, Kitui, Kisumu, Nyeri, and Busia are among the 11 celebrated for being consistently on point in credit management and for prioritizing KEMSA as their go-to supplier.
But it’s not just counties getting a round of applause. Sixteen County Pharmacists were honored individually for their leadership and ingenuity in health commodity management.
Dr. Alex Oindi (Machakos), Dr. Beatrice Muia (Kitui), Dr. Brian Muyokani (Turkana), and others received recognition for their frontline efforts. Their work exemplifies a larger national mission: to build a health supply chain that is resilient, transparent, and centered on the people it serves.
Driving this transformation is a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that allows health facilities to feed real-time demand data directly into KEMSA’s procurement pipeline. The goal? Zero stockouts, faster response times, and smarter spending.
“We’re building a supply chain anchored in data, not guesswork,” Dr. Ejersa explained. “When health workers on the ground tell us what they need and we respond quickly and precisely, we don’t just deliver medicine—we save lives.”
The event is also part of KEMSA’s broader turnaround agenda, aligning with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale’s call for a leaner, smarter, and tech-enabled system. As KEMSA evolves from a traditional distributor to a performance-driven supply chain hub, it’s rethinking its not-for-profit commercial model to better support its national revolving fund.
And while the celebrations are warranted, there was no sugarcoating the challenges ahead. Dr. Ejersa called on counties with pending debts to clear their balances to avoid disruptions in the delivery of essential health commodities.
He also encouraged counties to tap into the Social Health Authority (SHA) platform to enhance access to healthcare and boost the success of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
KEMSA has set its sights on raising its Order Fill Rate to over 90% in the short term—a goal that fits squarely into its newly launched 2025–2030 Sustainable Growth Strategy.
“This is about more than moving boxes,” said Dr. Ejersa. “It’s about restoring trust in our healthcare system and honoring the dignity of every Kenyan who walks into a clinic hoping to find the medicine they need.”
