Kemsa names ex-board member Terry Kiunge as CEO
Medical supplies agency Kemsa has settled on its former board member, Terry Ramadhani Kiunge, as the new boss tasked with shaking off a bad image while efficiently delivering drugs to Kenyans.
Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) board chair Mary Chao Mwadime said Ms Kiunge is expected to lead reforms since she “has a clear knowledge of what ails Kemsa” given she served at the top decision making organ of the State corporation.
Ms Kiunge’s recruitment, which was assisted by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Consulting Services Executive selection experts, has been ongoing since March when applicants expressed interest in serving in the hot seat.
She takes over from Mr John Kabuchi, who has been serving in an acting capacity, and she’ll also be replacing outgoing crisis-saddled substantive CEO, Dr Jonah Manjari, who was suspended last year amid a multi-billion-shilling procurement scam.
Before her appointment, Ms Kiunge served as the Aga Khan University, Director Academy HR and Global Change.
She has also previously worked as a Senior Director at the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), offering project management, monitoring, and evaluation support for several national government flagship projects, including the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
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She holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool, Adaptive Leadership Certification from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor of Education from Kenyatta University.
She is a certified project management professional and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Previously, she has held several strategic and leadership jobs in health organizations in both the public and private sectors.
The seasoned human resources management practitioner with over 19 years of experience in the fields of human resource development, organizational transformation, process re-engineering, and implementation, will be expected to beef up corporate governance at the agency which is facing a reputation crisis.
Her in-tray is full as she is also expected to lead restructuring in a bid to reform and enhance accountability across various levels of service.
Kemsa has been fighting to clean its image and earn public trust following fraud accusations on the procurement of Covid-19 management supplies in 2020.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission cited irregular expenditure of Kes7.8 billion following tenders reportedly dished out to politically connected individuals and businesses by top Kemsa chiefs.
In March this year, the UN-backed Global Fund revealed fresh rot at Kemsa when it found out that a total of 908,000 mosquito nets, 1.1 million condoms, and TB drugs valued at Kes10 million vanished from its warehouse without a trace.
Global Fund, which finances the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria, has also raised the red flag against the State institution citing “phantom” suppliers demanding Kes1.66 billion from Kemsa.
