January 24, 2025

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Why Former PM Raila Odinga push for restructuring of KEMSA

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Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for the restructuring of KEMSA in a bid to save the country wastage and inefficiencies.

While addressing the issue of human resources and infrastructure for health, Odinga noted that the misadventure was itself a result of the monopolistic nature of KEMSA which leads to wastage and inefficiencies.

“Restructuring KEMSA would save the country from misadventures like the purchase of managed equipment services witnessed a few years ago,” said Raila.

Reformed during the Coalition Government, Raila said it provided viable legal framework and management structure which drew in a lot of support from development partners.

“KEMSA has unfortunately become a pale shadow of its otherwise viable former self. It needs to recapture lost ground,” he said.

He added, “It cannot do this if it continues to enjoy the monopoly status that the change in law gave it in purchasing medical commodities for counties through a framework which is, by its very nature, monopolistic.”

He said that Medical Supplies Authority needs to regain its efficiency by competing in the open market and providing pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical commodities to national and county government facilities at competitive market prices.

The former Prime Minister opined that being the largest consumers of KEMSA commodities, counties also need representatives on the KEMSA Board with their consumptive weight and deserved interest in shaping policies and performance of KEMSA.

Odinga also proposed for the establishment of a National Board of Human Resources for Health in which the national and county governments are key partners to determine the funding for high level training and post graduate work.