Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) is on the spot after it emerged that drugs worth Sh1.2 billion have expired or are about to expire even as hospitals countrywide grapple with a severe shortage of medicines.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has summoned top Kemsa officials led by CEO Jonah Mwangi to explain why this has happened under their watch.
The Business Daily reports that the affected drugs were sourced from the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Drugs and other supplies valued at Sh2.5 million have already expired while others worth Sh213.4 million must reach patients within the next one month.
Additionally, 106 drugs worth Sh1 billion have a shelf-life of about seven months, which is a relatively short period as per best pharmaceutical practices.
Some of the expired the drugs stored in the agency’s warehouses include HIV test kits, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Abacavir/Lamivudine, Tenofovir /Dolutegravir, and Omeprazole capsules.
This comes even as public hospitals across the country continue to grapple with a shortage of drugs and other key medical supplies.
This is not the first time Kemsa has been on the spotlight over the expiry of drugs in its warehouses.
In September last, drugs whose value was estimated at Sh252 million are said to have expired in the agency’s stores.
Kemsa, however, blamed this to the industrial action staged by Kenyan health workers.
Meanwhile the boy in…
Meanwhile the boy in statehouse is busy play musical chairs with the CS’s. How about you summon the CS and ask her to show cause why she should continue as CS. Very soon you will be talking about UHC when your government can’t even manage a warehouse full og donated medical supplies. Is this for real?
Most pathetic president in Africa.
Pombe tu!
THIS IS CRIMINAL, AND IT…
THIS IS CRIMINAL, AND IT MAKES ONE WONDER WHY THE COUNTIES
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BUY DRUGS ON THEIR OWN.
This is deliberate.
They…
This is deliberate.
They want a shortage of medicine to continue in kenya hospitals.
We want secession.
Scenario 1
– there were no…
Scenario 1
– there were no medicine bought in the first place. Some goons shared the money between themselves and maybe brought some empty boxes or purchased dirty cheap nothings in the name of.
Scenario 2
– they were sold ‘expired’ meds at throw away price… both seller and buyer knew what they were doing
Either way, the aim was to STEAL taxpayer’s money… and they did!!!
@justMe you are spot on with…
@justMe you are spot on with the scenario 1 and 2. These thieves are hiding behind government offices, lack of oversight and nonsensical policies to fleece the taxpayers.
This is a scandal. Somebody…
This is a scandal. Somebody must have bought them at a throw away price because they were about to expire but they billed the government the full cost.
please send Matiang there…
please send Matiang there TOP URGENT and shake those hooligans if true do you know how many lifes could have been saved let alone families saved the agony I feel like going back home and put some sense in some of our officials. Have a proper inventory time you receive drugs ..expiry date and dispatching time how many…use even simple excel sheet hire college students/ degree holders in simple logistics data management NKt not a good story to Read
The kemsa so called…
The kemsa so called officials are intentionally causing these MEDS to expire so that they can repackage them afresh and sell them to the unsuspecting sick wanainchi, No wonder t[it’s hard to cure diseases in kenya.CORRUPTION AT ITS WORST. SICKENING.
This is Kenya, its corrupt…
This is Kenya, its corrupt beyond repair no matter what changes we may want. Let’s the connected get rich, who cares about the poor. We have to rise from rags to riches, unfortunately, let the rich remember the other way is a possibility too
Just when you think we have…
Just when you think we have hit rock bottom some deeper BS comes up. The level of dysfunction in our country is unsustainable. Woe unto us when the chickens come home to roost. We continue to plunder resources and opportunities like there’s no tomorrow. Our children and grandchildren are in for a rough miserable ride.
@just me, you are right…
@just me, you are right. Someone must have taken a bribe to allow (mitumba drugs)expired drugs to be dumped in Kenya- Shit hole drugs for shit hole countries!! The blame is on our people-self loothe!