9^th November 2021

The Council of Governors (CoG) is drawn to the ongoing conversations on reforming the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) which has taken prominence in the media headlines recently. As the CoG, we believe that urgent structural and institutional reforms are needed at KEMSA to ensure the institution effectively serves Counties in the procurement and supply of pharmaceutical and non- pharmaceutical products to improve availability and affordability of health commodities, and ultimately enhance health outcomes. The centralised procurement and distribution system for health products and technologies ought to be restructured in a manner that fully is aligned to devolution and accords joint accountability to both National and County Governments.
Essentially, the Constitution assigned health functions to both the National Government and the County Governments. While delivery of most of the essential health services are assigned to County Governments, which have responsibility for County health facilities (level 1 to level 5) and pharmacies, ambulance services, and promotion of primary health care, the role of National Government in the delivery of health services is restricted to National referral health facilities.1 Implied in these functions is the obvious fact that the demands of the 47 County Governments for medical supplies and equipment are higher than those of the National Government.

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