CAPTION: Newly appointed KEMSA CEO Terry Kiunge Ramadhan
It seems to be a sham exercise intent on protecting the looters of the state medical supplies agency.
Before her appointment, Terry Kiunge Ramadhan was working as Human Resource (HR) professional at Agah Khan and PDU seconded to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to oversee Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) since 2019.
After the Covid-19 scandal and the dissolution of the KEMSA board, she was absorbed as a board member where she oversaw the Human Resource (HR) reforms as the chairperson of the HR committee and rendered most of the workers redundant.
Then she did prepare for the CEO recruit indent before resigning in a huff to be favoured by Cabinet Secretary Mutani Kagwe for the position.
This acrobatics poses three issues:-
- Kemsa act says for one to be a CEO he/she must have a first degree in Pharmacy or Medicine. (This was after the amended KEMSA Act was declared illegal by the court recently after the court realized that Senate was not consulted)
- She has previously been working as a board member and UHC seconded to KEMSA. Her moves scream of Conflict of Interest.
- The CS want to bring Kikuyu’s from Nyeri into all MOH Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs).
Watch this space for KMTC CEO too. Let’s see how it unfolds. READ: PS Mochache Hung out to Dry Over Letter that cost Billions in Kemsa Procurement We must stop PS and CS MOH from destroying KEMSA for their evil intentions. Advert for KEMSA CEO job
Furthermore, no senior government appointments should be preferred for 90 days before the General election as a norm.
Kemsa Act Schedule 4. (1) The functions of the Authority shall be to— (a) procure, warehouse and distribute drugs and medical supplies for prescribed public health programmes, the national strategic stock reserve, prescribed essential health packages and national referral hospitals; (b) establish a network of storage, packaging and distribution facilities for the provision of drugs and medical supplies to health institution (C)enter into partnership with or establish frameworks with County Governments for purposes of providing services in procurement, warehousing, and distribution of drugs and medical supplies; Gazette Notice: Appointment of KEMSA Terry Kiunge Ramadhani as bord member of KEMSA
(d) collect information and provide regular reports to the national and county governments on the status and cost-effectiveness of procurement, the distribution and value of prescribed essential medical supplies delivered to health facilities, stock status and on any other aspects of supply system status and performance which may be required by stakeholders; (e) support county governments to establish and maintain appropriate supply chain systems for drugs and medical supplies.
Ms Kiunge is an HR specialist with limited knowledge of how the supply chain works.
Don't be fooled by her name, she is from Mutahi Kagwe's Nyeri County.