Nairobi: KEMSA Launches Nationwide Stocktaking to Strengthen Kenya’s Health Supply Chain
- KEMSA kicked off a nationwide stocktaking exercise to strengthen the accuracy and delivery of Kenya’s health supply chain
- The ongoing operation is being carried out in all warehouses and will inform KEMSA’s audited financial statements
- Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, KEMSA’s CEO explained how the move is key to building a reliable, transparent and life-saving supply chain
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TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has rolled out a nationwide stocktaking exercise aimed at improving accuracy, accountability, and efficiency in the health supply chain.
Source: Original
The two-week activity, which began this week, is currently underway in all KEMSA warehouses across the country.
The initiative is part of KEMSA’s broader strategy to align physical inventory of Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) with records in its Warehouse Management System (WMS).
The final stock data will contribute to the authority’s financial statements in line with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and other regulatory requirements.
Why does KEMSA stocktake matter now?
With the country pushing forward with Universal Health Coverage (UHC), KEMSA’s ability to ensure that medicines and other essential supplies are available, non-expired, and properly tracked has become more critical than ever.
While speaking to TUKO.co.ke, KEMSA chief executive officer Waqo Ejersa described the stocktake as more than just a routine exercise, calling it a crucial step toward improving accountability, streamlining operations, and enhancing service delivery.
"This is not just a routine check. Accurate records mean better forecasting, smarter procurement and ultimately, saving lives by ensuring essential medicines and supplies are always available when and where they are needed," he said.
To safeguard the process, independent stock takers have been deployed to different departments.
The operations directorate is overseeing the organisation of stock, proper labelling, and warehouse cleanliness to support accurate counting and reconciliation.
How is the KEMSA stocktaking being done?
The verification process involves comparing actual physical stock with entries in the Logistics Management Information System (LMIS).
Key details like batch numbers and expiry dates are being recorded to ensure a full picture of available stock.
Once the exercise is complete, the results will be captured in KEMSA’s financial reports, following International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and public sector best practices.
KEMSA described the initiative as a major step towards transforming into a demand-driven and data-powered institution, capable of delivering quality, timely, and affordable medical supplies across all 47 counties.
The agency said the stocktake marks a key milestone in its ongoing reforms aimed at restoring public confidence and improving efficiency in the supply chain.
“This is how we build trust in the system, through data, discipline, and delivery. KEMSA is evolving into a fully demand-driven, data powered supply chain institution, and this stocktake is a cornerstone of that transformation,” Waqo told TUKO.co.ke.
Source: Original
Is Kenya finally solving its drug wastage crisis?
This comes as the government, through Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, previously unveiled a digital tracking system aimed at tackling the massive losses caused by expired drugs across the country.
The system will monitor the movement of medicines from the point of delivery at KEMSA, all the way to prescription in health facilities. Duale said the move is part of wider reforms to improve accountability in the supply chain.
Kenya reportedly loses over KSh 9.5 billion every year due to drug expiry, with an additional KSh 600 million used to safely dispose of expired stock.
A Ministry of Health study revealed that 32 percent of medicines in the country expire before use, a figure that surpasses the global average of 25 percent.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
