Uhuru appoints Mary Mwadime new chairperson of KEMSA board

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Mary Chao Mwadime to serve as chairperson of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority Board for a three-year term.

According to a gazette notice dated April 28, the change of hands will take effect on April 30 and will result in the revocation of James Kembi Gitura’s appointment as chairperson.

In the same Gazette notice, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe named Capt. (Rtd) Lawrence Wahome, Robert Nyarango, and Terry Kiunge Ramadhani to the Board of Directors of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority for a three-year term beginning April 30, 2021.

At the same time, Timothy Mwololo Waema, Bibiana K. Njue, Joel Onsare Gesuka, and Dorothy Atieno Aywak’s appointments were revoked.

Mr. Gitura was transferred to the Communications Regulatory Authority earlier this month, amid an ongoing investigation into the Ksh7.8 billion Covid-19 procurement scandal at the Authority, a move that was criticized by Kenyan legislators.

The new appointments come just days after the United States for the first time declared its stand on the ARV stand off, with US Secretary of State, Anthony J Blanken who was speaking to Citizen TV saying corruption at KEMSA was the elephant in the room.

“We have had an issue with KEMSA, the institution responsible for the distribution, and as you know very well, concerns in particular about corruption that i know the government is working to reform. we have an obligation to our own taxpayers when we’re spending their money to do it in a way that is accountable and fully transparent,” Blinked said on Wednesday.

USAID had refused to release the consignment demanding that a private us based company, chemonics international, be the distributor before the drugs are released.

According to Secretary of State Blinken, USAID’s assistance to people living with HIV will continue in an environment of accountability and transparency on KEMSA’s part, which has been discussed with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“What we talked about today was making sure that as KEMSA was being reformed nothing fell through the cracks, that we had the ability together to make sure that our assistance continued uninterrupted, so that people in need of what we’re providing didn’t go without it. and I think that we’re going to work very closely together to make sure that happens,” Secretary of State Blinken added.