KEMSA at a Crossroads: Board Chair Samuel Tunai Presents Ambitious Blueprint to Revitalise Kenya’s Health Supply Chain

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is at a defining moment one that could reshape the country’s entire public health system.

At a high-level strategic retreat this week, KEMSA Board Chair Samuel Tunai issued a powerful call for bold reforms, unveiling a comprehensive blueprint that will guide the Authority’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan. The far-reaching reform agenda is aimed at modernizing operations, rebuilding trust, and repositioning the Authority as a national leader in health supply chain management.

“This is not just strategy. It’s survival,” Mr. Tunai said. “KEMSA cannot afford cosmetic fixes or band-aid solutions. The time for transformation not tinkering is now.”

A Blueprint for Bold Change

KEMSA is firing on all cylinders, with breakthrough ideas driving a shift toward a modern, patient-centered supply chain. Central to the five-year plan is the full digitization of operations, seamlessly integrated with the Digital Health Authority and Social Health Authority. This transformation will enable real-time visibility, streamline processes, and ensure faster, more reliable delivery of essential medical supplies nationwide.

KEMSA’s procurement system will be strengthened to prioritize transparency, lead times, and accountability. Integrity will be mandatory, and efficiency will be a core performance metric. To enhance affordability, market competition will be leveraged to secure better prices and greater value for mwananchi.

The blueprint also targets diversification of revenue streams to reduce overreliance on government funding and strengthen long-term sustainability. A proposed KEMSA College of Excellence will help drive institutional innovation and capacity building. Meanwhile, new strategic public-private partnerships are expected to modernize infrastructure and unlock efficiencies critical to national health delivery.

Crucially, the plan aligns KEMSA’s evolving role with key national health priorities, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“Our current model was built for a different era,” Mr. Tunai noted. “Today demands real-time data, agility, and a customer-first mindset.”

Confronting Hard Truths

KEMSA’s operational weaknesses including delayed deliveries, stockouts, financial opacity, and waning partner confidence remain significant. Mr. Tunai called for “brutal honesty and unflinching accountability” in confronting these issues.

“These challenges are not just numbers they reflect real people, real patients. Fixing KEMSA is about ensuring that mothers, children, and healthcare workers have what they need, when they need it.”

From Words to Action

Mr. Tunai made it clear: this strategic retreat must deliver more than just PowerPoint presentations. He called for a detailed commitment matrix with defined responsibilities, deadlines, and accountability measures. The outcome must include a restructured business model that reflects Kenya’s current healthcare realities and sets clear, measurable targets for improving order fulfillment, cost control, and stock management.

“Leadership isn’t about position it’s about performance,” he said. “Kenyans deserve more than promises. They deserve a system that delivers with dignity and consistency.”

Building the Future: KEMSA Strategic Plan 2025–2030

With support from consulting firm Blue Spectrum, KEMSA is finalizing its five-year Strategic Plan based on a rigorous situation analysis. This includes a deep review of internal operations, financial structures, external policy pressures, and stakeholder expectations.

Key areas of focus include resolving county-level debts, improving demand forecasting and inventory control, and strengthening financial sustainability through better liquidity, solvency, and cost governance. The plan also emphasizes operational efficiency and cash flow resilience essentials for a responsive national health supply system.

The vision is clear: to build a commercially viable, digitally intelligent, and socially responsive KEMSA, capable of reliably delivering the right health products, at the right time, at the right cost every time.

Vision Beyond Borders

Mr. Tunai emphasized that KEMSA’s transformation is not only about internal reform it’s about changing lives. With the right systems in place, KEMSA can become a regional center of excellence, helping to shape stronger, more resilient health systems across East Africa.

“If we get this right, KEMSA can strengthen Kenya’s health system and contribute to regional health security. That’s the opportunity before us.”

The Road Ahead

Transforming KEMSA will require leadership, discipline, and a clear shift in culture — from boardroom decisions to day-to-day operations. The goal is a system that works for every health facility and every Kenyan who depends on it.

“The decisions we make now will shape healthcare delivery for years to come,” Mr. Tunai concluded. “Let this be the moment KEMSA begins to truly serve the nation.”