Senate summons Duale, Kemsa bosses over Sh1 billion expired drugs scandal

Questions are mounting over the management of Kenya’s medical supplies after the Senate moved to investigate claims that medicines worth about Sh1 billion were left to expire in Kemsa warehouses, despite continued demand for treatment in public health facilities across the country.

The Senate Health Committee has summoned Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and officials from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority to explain how the stock, including medicines used for cancer, HIV, malaria and other serious conditions, was allowed to go to waste.

The inquiry was triggered by a statement request from Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, who raised concerns over the handling of essential medicines and the possible failures that led to the losses.

Addressing the Senate, Nyutu said the issue had exposed gaps in the management of public medical supplies and raised concerns about accountability within both Kemsa and the Ministry of Health.

“The expiry of essential medicines and medical supplies raises serious concerns regarding procurement planning, inventory management, stock monitoring, distribution systems and accountability within Kemsa and the Ministry of Health,” Nyutu told the Senate.

As part of the investigation, the committee will establish the total amount of drugs that expired, their value, the categories of medicines affected and the dates on which they expired. Senators also want details of the facilities where the medicines were stored and the circumstances that led to the losses.

The committee is further expected to determine whether hospitals experienced shortages of the same medicines while the stock remained unused in warehouses.

Lawmakers have also directed the committee to identify individuals who may have played a role in the wastage and recommend the appropriate action against those found responsible.

The probe will also examine measures being taken by Kemsa and the Ministry of Health to improve stock control, strengthen oversight and ensure such losses do not occur again.

The matter sparked concern among senators, who questioned how patients could continue struggling to obtain treatment while large quantities of medicine remained in storage until their expiry dates passed.

Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri said the situation painted a worrying picture of the country's healthcare system and demanded clear answers from those in charge.

“Why do we have patients dying and expired drugs at the same time If patients are dying, that means they are not getting the drugs,” she said.

“It is such a sad picture that we have expired drugs in large warehouses, yet patients continue to die in public health facilities where they are seeking treatment and they are not able to get it.”

Okenyuri said the situation was especially troubling for cancer patients, many of whom continue to face difficulties accessing medication while drugs intended to support treatment allegedly expire before reaching them.

“The Kemsa and the Ministry of Health have to tell the country why we are having this consistently. Where is the lapse Why should we have more people dying because of administrative issues she said.

She urged the committee to leave no question unanswered and ensure accountability for any failures uncovered during the investigation.

Nominated Senator Mariam Omar argued that the challenge is not limited to Kemsa alone, saying county governments also bear responsibility for poor management of medicines.

She told the Senate that members of the Health Committee had encountered expired drugs during oversight visits to some county health facilities.

“It is so pathetic that all our counties have expired drugs on their shelves and they are dispensing them.”

Omar blamed weak stock management systems and said counties should be more cautious when receiving supplies. She accused Kemsa of dispatching medicines with only a short period remaining before expiry and faulted counties for accepting them.

“Counties must not accept drugs which have a period of six months to expiry,” she said.

She added that hospitals and health facilities should always issue medicines with the nearest expiry dates first to reduce wastage and avoid preventable losses.