Kenya Medical Supplies Authority notifies staff of no contract renewal
All employees of the troubled Kenya Medical Supplies Authority under contract will not have them renewed.
A memo signed by acting chief executive Edward Njoroge said the contracts will not be renewed upon lapsing as per each individual.
“As part of the ongoing Kemsa-wide reforms, we wish to notify all contractual employees that the contracts that have already lapsed in the year will be renewed up to December 31,” the memo.
It continues: “Those running out by December 31 will run till that period and there will be no further renewal and /or extension of the same.”
Early this month, more than 900 employees were sent on a 30-day compulsory leave to allow the agency restructure.
Employees were advised to work from home, as they await further instructions from the board, which has since embarked on a major restructuring that could see a number of them declared redundant.
Njoroge said only essential services staff would be allowed into the premises.
“By reason of the foregoing, and as required by the Employment Act, this letter serves as an official one-month notice that your position may be affected and made redundant,” he said while issuing the directives.
Kemsa board chairperson Mary Mwadime said the work-from-home order was a procedural formality to facilitate review of the organisational structure that will be done expeditiously to ensure the staff complement is fit for purpose and within approved establishment levels.
Recent survey
Mwadime disclosed that the move had been taken after a recent survey revealed the agency was underperforming and unable to meet its obligations to Kenyans.
Some of the challenges facing the agency, Mwadime noted, included lack of financial control, uncollected debts, supply chain shortcomings, warehousing and distribution problems, dead stock pile up and purchase of non-priority items.
“These challenges confirm that organisational reform efforts need to be stepped up to position the authority as an effective player in the local healthcare system,” Mwadime said.
Public Investments Committee chairperson Abdulswamud Shariff Nassir, in a report, recommended that all top managers be sacked over their involvement in the Sh7.8 billion heist spent on purchase of Covid-19 related materials.
PIC also prescribed that all the 112 companies that supplied PPEs be surcharged the more than Sh3.9 billion they were paid for supply of the controversial goods.
Kenya Revenue Authority was also directed to investigate whether the suppliers had declared and paid taxes.
