The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has increased its Order Fill Rate from 40% to more than 90%, signaling a major improvement in the availability of health products and technologies in public health facilities.
Speaking during a high-level Health Systems Performance session at the Kenya Health Summit 2026 at the KICC in Nairobi on Wednesday, KEMSA CEO Dr Ejersa Waqo outlined the measures that have driven the Authority’s turnaround.
“We called our stakeholders to help us decide what they need,” Waqo said.
He explained that KEMSA had moved away from simply managing nearly 3,800 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) and instead began engaging health sector stakeholders to understand demand, prioritize critical Health Products and Technologies (HPTs), and align supplies with the actual needs of health facilities.
Stock Management Strategy
Waqo said KEMSA also reviewed its stock management practices and adopted a “shrink and grow” approach.
The strategy involves reducing unnecessary inventory while increasing the availability of products that are in high demand.
“A national dialogue exposed another challenge: KEMSA was carrying large stocks while operating with limited resources. Rather than tying up resources in excess inventory, the Authority rethought its business model, adopting a ‘shrink and grow’ approach reducing unnecessary stock while strategically growing availability where demand is greatest,” he said.
The Authority also introduced two-year framework contracts, which Waqo said have provided suppliers with greater certainty and helped create more consistent flow of health products and technologies.
The contacts are intended to improve predictability and move KEMSA away from reactive procurement towards a supply system capable of anticipating demand and reducing stock outs.
KEMSA Embraces Technology
Waqo said technology had also become central to KEMSA’s efforts to improve supply chain management.
Through the Commodity Early Warning and Alert System (CEWAS), the Authority is improving visibility of health commodities and using data to determine what should be stocked, where it should be stored and when supplies need to be replenished.
“Through CEWAS, KEMSA is strengthening commodity stocking and visibility, enabling smarter decisions on what to stock, where to stock it and when to replenish,” Waqo said.
The Health Systems Performance session was chaired by Health CS Aden Duale and moderated by PS Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga.
It brought together Governor Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi), Governor Mutula Kilonzo (Makueni), Healthcare Federation Chairman Dr Kanyenje Gakombe, AGC Tenwek CEO Ben Siele and Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Dr Richard Lesiyampe.
Meanwhile, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki welcomed the progress at KEMSA, noting that the Authority had been in disarray in 2022 but had since recorded significant improvements.
He cited the rise in the Order Fill Rate as evidence of the turnaround.
Kindiki, however, cautioned that the gains must be sustained and strengthened.
He called for further improvements to Kenya’s health commodity security system, particularly through making the Logistics Management Information System interoperable with other government systems.
According to Kindiki, greater interoperability would improve the quality and use of health data and support the government’s broader digitization agenda.
