Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga speaks during a five-day conference in Naivasha on October 12, 2026./HANDOUT
The government and the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) have called for stronger pharmacist leadership and better coordination with hospitals to reduce medicine stock-outs.
The call also seeks to minimise wastage and ensure patients get essential health products when they need them.
Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga said procurement alone was not enough to guarantee the availability of medicines and other health products, urging pharmacists to take a more strategic role in determining what health facilities need.
Speaking during a five-day conference in Naivasha running from October 11 to 15, Oluga called for evidence-based planning, improved inventory management and greater accountability across the health products supply chain.
He said decisions on the products to procure, their quantities and delivery timelines should be guided by reliable consumption data, clinical evidence and the needs of health facilities.
Oluga also called for stronger forecasting, rational medicine use and better management of public resources to ensure that supplies match actual patient needs.
The Principal Secretary acknowledged ongoing operational reforms at Kemsa, saying they were contributing to improvements in order fulfilment rates, turnaround times and service delivery across the authority’s distribution network.
Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga speaks during a five-day conference in Naivasha on October 12, 2026./HANDOUT
However, he stressed that the gains must be sustained through accurate forecasting, closer collaboration with hospitals and greater accountability at every stage of the supply chain.
The ultimate measure of the reforms, he said, should be whether essential health products are available where and when patients need them.
Kemsa Chief Executive Officer Dr Waqo Ejersa echoed the call, saying the performance of the national supply chain should be judged by the products that reach patients rather than the quantities procured.
“Our performance must ultimately be reflected in the ability of health facilities to deliver services reliably and in the ability of patients to access the products they need when they need them,” Ejersa said.
He urged health institutions to move beyond treating pharmacists solely as custodians of medicines, arguing that they should play a greater role in demand forecasting, procurement planning, resource allocation and institutional decision-making.
“Pharmacists must be positioned not only as custodians of medicines, but also as strategic contributors to institutional efficiency, patient safety and health-system sustainability,” he said.
Ejersa called on hospital management teams to involve pharmacists in decisions affecting health product requirements and pharmaceutical spending. He also urged pharmacists to strengthen evidence-based planning, professional accountability and performance monitoring.
He warned that weak forecasting, incomplete information and delayed communication could undermine the availability of supplies and lead to inefficient use of public funds.
Kemsa relies on accurate and timely information from health facilities to plan procurement and distribution, while hospitals need predictable and responsive supplies to maintain continuity of care.
The conference is also examining how standardising health products could reduce unnecessary variations in strengths, dosage forms, pack sizes and specifications where clinically and operationally appropriate.
Participants are expected to consider how product selection can be guided by actual usage, clinical relevance, service delivery needs and national standards, including the Kenya Essential Medicines List, without compromising patient safety.
The discussions will also explore the use of digital tools to improve supply chain visibility, consumption monitoring, forecasting, inventory management and accountability.
However, Ejersa cautioned that technology alone would not guarantee better outcomes without reliable data, sound processes, institutional capacity and clear accountability.
“The objective is straightforward: to ensure that our collective resources translate into the greatest possible benefit for patients,” he said.
The meeting brings together the Ministry of Health, Kemsa, county governments, the Hospital Pharmacists Association of Kenya, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, pharmaceutical industry partners and other stakeholders.
A key objective is to generate evidence-based recommendations to guide Kemsa’s procurement planning for the 2026/2027 financial year and align national supply arrangements with the needs of health facilities.
Expected outcomes include a harmonised, pharmacist-validated list of health products and technologies, standardised specifications where appropriate, prioritised new requirements and validated quantities for participating facilities.
The conference is also expected to produce a joint Kemsa–Hospital Pharmacists Action Plan outlining agreed priorities, institutional responsibilities and implementation timelines.
Ejersa urged participants to bring credible facility data and sound professional judgement to the discussions, stressing that the success of the meeting would depend on whether its recommendations were implemented.
“The success of this conference will ultimately be determined by the quality of its outcomes and the extent to which they are implemented,” he said.
The initiative aims to strengthen the reliability of Kenya’s health products supply chain and ensure health facilities have the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time and in the right place.