A recent audit by the Auditor-General has highlighted serious weaknesses in the way county hospitals manage their medical supplies, leading to large losses of drugs through theft and poor record-keeping. The report for the year ending June 2024 reveals that several counties lack reliable systems to track the flow of medicines from suppliers to health facilities, leaving room for misappropriation.

The audit shows that counties like Nakuru, Tana River, Vihiga, Nyandarua, and Kiambu struggle with incomplete or missing documentation for drug deliveries.

This has made it difficult to confirm whether the drugs procured actually reached the intended facilities.

For example, Hola Level Four Hospital in Tana River does not use an electronic system to manage drug stocks, while Nakuru County has no inventory management system at all.

In Vihiga, although the Level Four Hospital uses an Information Management System to record pharmacy transactions, no annual reports were shared with auditors to verify the drugs received from suppliers.

In Kiambu, inspection reports for drugs supplied to various health facilities were not provided, despite purchases exceeding Sh90 million.

Wajir County’s records are also weak, with Sh98 million worth of drugs bought not supported by store documents. The county relies on manual record-keeping, which the Auditor-General said is not sufficient to prevent theft or loss.

Similarly, Garissa County purchased drugs worth over Sh100 million, but deliveries were not recorded properly in store ledgers, and local supplier purchases lacked supporting papers.

The report underlines that these gaps in inventory management expose county hospitals to theft by dishonest staff, who divert drugs to private clinics and pharmacies.

In Kericho and Nakuru, medical supplies worth millions have reportedly found their way into private hands, causing shortages in public health facilities.

Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has acknowledged the problem and vowed to strengthen controls.

He recently suspended pharmacists involved in theft and reshuffled health department officers to curb the practice. His efforts follow years of complaints about drug shortages and the impact on patients at county referral and sub-county hospitals.

The audit calls for urgent reforms in the way counties track and manage medical supplies to protect public health and ensure that resources reach the patients who need them.