The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and international interest.
The national medical supplies agency lost drugs valued at Sh352 million that expired in their stores or got damaged, the Auditor General has revealed.
The auditor noted that the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa), which is tasked with supplying medical drugs and equipment to hospitals under both the national and county governments, could not explain why it let the drugs expire when health institutions in the country were facing shortages.
Edward Ouko says in his report for the year 2017, tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday, that Kemsa failed to explain why it was stocking expired drugs, thereby causing unnecessary loss.
The auditor further notes that the authority could not explain why it had failed to recover outstanding debts held by the counties totaling Sh2.3 billion and another Sh1.1 billion owed by the Ministry of Health.
Approved staff
Ouko also cites the agency's bloated workforce which stands at 695 employees against the approved staff establishment of 341, leading to an unapproved over-employment of 354 workers.
No explanation was provided for the anomaly.
The agency, Ouko writes, does not possess ownership documents of parcels of land spread across the country valued at Sh183 million.
The parcels include one in Eldoret valued at Sh25 million, Garissa Sh6.5 million, and two parcels in Kakamega valued at Sh7.5 million and Sh3 million respectively.
Others are in Kisumu (Sh25 million), Mombasa (Sh76 million), Nakuru (Sh25 million), and Nyeri (Sh15 million).
No explanation was provided for Kemsa's failure to obtain title deeds for the land and to account for the parcel in Meru.
join