Kenya’s medical supply authority has dramatically improved its order fill rate from about 40 per cent in 2022 to more than 90 per cent, marking a major turnaround in the availability of medicines and Health products at public facilities.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) says the improvement was not achieved simply by buying more stock. Instead, the agency redesigned its operations around demand, efficiency, predictability, technology and data to ensure the right health products and technologies are available where and when they are needed.
KEMSA Chief Executive Officer Dr Waqo Ejersa outlined the reforms during a high-level session on health systems performance at the Kenya Health Summit. The session was chaired by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and moderated by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga. Participants included 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 began by consulting stakeholders to understand what health facilities actually required. “We called our stakeholders to help us decide what they need,” he said. The shift moved the authority away from simply managing nearly 3,800 stock-keeping units toward analysing demand across the health system, prioritising critical products and aligning procurement with real requirements.
A national dialogue also revealed that KEMSA was holding substantial stocks while operating with limited resources. The authority adopted what it describes as a “shrink and grow” approach — reducing unnecessary inventory while strategically increasing availability of commodities where demand is highest. Two-year framework contracts were introduced to improve predictability, giving suppliers greater certainty and supporting a more consistent flow of health products. The objective, Dr Waqo said, was to move from reactive procurement to a system capable of anticipating demand and reducing stockouts.
Technology has become central to the transformation. Through the CEWAS platform, KEMSA is improving commodity stocking and visibility, enabling 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 on reactions to shortages after they occur.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki highlighted the progress during the summit, describing KEMSA as having been “in disarray” in 2022. He said the gains must be consolidated through further improvements to the country’s health commodity security system. Kindiki called for the Logistics Management Information System to be made interoperable with other government systems to improve data quality and use, a step aligned with the government’s broader digitisation agenda.
The transformation supports the push for Universal Health Coverage by ensuring patients can access essential medicines at public facilities. For KEMSA, the rise from a 40 per cent fill rate to the 90s represents more than 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 improved supply chain performance translates into reliable access to essential medicines for patients across the country.
