NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 19 – The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has raised its order fill rate from about 40 per cent in 2022 to more than 90 per cent, marking a significant turnaround in the availability of medicines and health products in public health facilities.
But KEMSA says the improvement has not been achieved simply by purchasing more supplies and distributing them to facilities.
Instead, the authority has redesigned its approach around demand, efficiency, predictability, technology and data, with the aim of ensuring the right Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) are available where and when they are needed.
KEMSA CEO Dr Waqo Ejersa outlined the reforms during a high-level Health Systems Performance session on Service Delivery, Health Workforce, Health Products and Technologies, and Local Manufacturing held during the Kenya Health Summit.
The session, chaired by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and moderated by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga, brought together Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo, Healthcare Federation Chairman Dr Kanyenje Gakombe, AGC Tenwek CEO Ben Siele and Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Dr Richard Lesiyampe.
Dr Waqo said KEMSA first turned to its stakeholders to understand what health facilities actually needed.
“We called our stakeholders to help us decide what they need,” he said.
The approach marked a shift from simply managing nearly 3,800 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) to understanding demand across the health system, prioritising critical HPTs and aligning procurement with actual requirements.
A national dialogue also revealed that KEMSA was holding substantial stocks while operating with limited resources.
The authority subsequently adopted what it describes as a “shrink and grow” approach — reducing unnecessary inventory while strategically increasing availability of commodities where demand is highest.
KEMSA also introduced two-year framework contracts to improve predictability, giving suppliers greater certainty while supporting a more consistent flow of health products.
The objective, Dr Waqo said, was to move away from reactive procurement towards a system capable of anticipating demand and reducing the risk of stockouts.
Technology has also become central to the transformation.
Through CEWAS, KEMSA is improving commodity stocking and visibility, enabling the authority to make more informed decisions on what to stock, where to stock it and when to replenish supplies.
The digital systems are intended to make the supply chain more responsive and data-driven, rather than relying primarily on reacting to shortages after they occur.
The progress was highlighted by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during the summit.
Speaking on health commodity security and logistics, Kindiki said KEMSA, which he described as having been “in disarray” in 2022, had made significant progress, with its order fill rate rising from about 40 per cent to more than 90 per cent.
However, Kindiki said the gains must be consolidated through further improvements to the country’s health commodity security system.
He called for the Logistics Management Information System to be made interoperable with other government systems to improve the quality and use of data.
The call is in line with the Government’s broader digitisation agenda and reflects the growing role of data in managing Kenya’s health supply chain.
The transformation comes as the Government seeks to strengthen Universal Health Coverage by ensuring that patients can access essential medicines and health products at public facilities.
For KEMSA, the rise from a 40 per cent order fill rate to the 90s represents more than an improvement in a single performance indicator.
It reflects a shift from pushing products to responding to demand; from holding excess stock to stocking strategically; from reacting to shortages to anticipating needs; and from fragmented information to data-driven decision-making.
The challenge now is to sustain those gains, strengthen digital integration and ensure that improved supply chain performance translates into more reliable access to essential medicines and health products for patients across the country.
