Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) on Monday, June 5, revoked the list of all pre-qualified suppliers following the controversies surrounding the procurement processes within the Authority.
In a press briefing, KEMSA Board Chair Irungu Nyakera noted that the process would begin afresh to ensure that the new process would select firms that met the requisite standards.
In addition, he stated that the board would review all ongoing contracts to validate that they underwent a fair process.
He reiterated that the steps would go a long way in ensuring effectiveness and accountability within the KEMSA supply chain management system.
"I immediately revoke the current list of prequalified suppliers and restart an objective process afresh to ensure only companies that provide value for money are pre-qualified.
"We will review all ongoing contracts that have been procured through single sourcing and monopoly action and are costly to the institution.
"Any contract found not to be providing value for money will be forwarded to the Public Procurement Authority and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for investigations," he noted.
Further, Nyakera ordered an audit for all staff within two weeks to review and retain all personnel who provide value to the Authority. In line with this, Nyakera halted the hiring of new staff in KEMSA.
"We will review the human capital of the organisation within two weeks from today through a staff needs assessment and document validation with a view to retaining qualified staff and employing them in line with departmental needs," Nyakera stated.
The news comes as an international financing and partnership organization, The Global Fund, was forced to cancel a Ksh3.7 billion mosquito nets tender owing to the Authority's irregular procurement process.
This is after the foreign agency established that the three companies, which had been qualified by KEMSA, had improper bids. The tender process was flagged as the foreign agency faulted the tender committee for siding with some of the bidders.
Following the scandal, President William Ruto terminated the appointment of Health PS Josephine Mburu and dissolved the entire KEMSA board.
The Authority's board CEO Terry Ramadhani was among eight staff who were suspended to allow investigations into the matter.
