The Kenya Medical Supply Agency (Kemsa) was once again in the eye of the storm this week, following revelations that it was yet to obtain ownership documents for several parcels of land that it owns across the country.
The Authority was put on the spot by the select committee on implementation of the National Assembly following revelations that it had failed to adhere to resolutions passed by the previous Parliament to authenticate the pieces of land.
The select committee chaired by Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala, met officials of Kemsa to find out if the Authority had obtained the ownership documentations as was resolved by the 12th Parliament.
The House had made the resolution following recommendation by the Public Investments Committee (PIC).
In response, Kemsa acting chief executive officer Andrew Mulwa told the Committee that the Authority is yet to fully acquire title deeds for nine out of the 13 parcels of land in question, but assured members that measures have been put in place to ensure this is done by the end of 2024.
“The Kemsa board has formed an Ad Hoc committee to deal with land ownership matters and it is meant to undertake the process within the next few months,” said Dr. Mulwa.
According to documents tabled before the committee available, the parcels of land are spread across the country and include depots in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kakamega, Nyeri, and Garissa.
Also, of concern to the committee was the reported stocking of expired and damaged drugs thereby causing unnecessary loss to the Authority.
The PIC report had recommended the uptake of medical camps by Kemsa and civil society groups to utilize drugs with a short shelf life to avoid expiry of drugs.
According to the acting CEO, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a complete system collapse at Kemsa.
He however, noted that the current board is on the verge of correcting this by ensuring a complete system overhaul, targeting the elimination of existing gaps.
He added that the Authority has initiated the digitization of all its systems to ensure a standard way of operations and avert future problems.
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