Puzzle as Health CS revokes appointment of 2 Kemsa board members after a week

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has dropped former Permanent Secretary John Konchellah and Wato Doko from the board of Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa), just a week after their appointment.

The former PS for East African Affairs and Doko had been appointed to the Kemsa board alongside Mercy Chengoris in a gazette notice dated March 6.

The trio was to serve for a period of three years.

However, in a puzzling development on Friday, CS Nakhumicha said the appointment of Konchellah and Doko had been revoked. Chengoris was not affected.

The CS did not disclose the reasons for the move, leaving many Kenyans confused. Their replacements were not revealed either.

In Exercise of the powers conferred by section 5 (1) (e) of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, the Cabinet
Secretary for Health revokes the appointment* of— Wato Doko, John Konchellah, as members of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority,” Nakhumicha said.

Far-reaching changes at Kemsa

President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration has in recent months made far-reaching changes in the Kemsa board.

Last month, the Head of State appointed Daniel Rono as chairperson of the Kemsa board, kicking out Mary Chao Mwadime, who had been at the helm of the agency since April 2021.

President Ruto picked Rono to serve for a three-year term.

“The Appointment of Mary Chao Mwadime is revoked,” Ruto said in a Gazette notice dated February 6.

Mwadime was picked to head the Kemsa board by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta. She replaced James Kembi Gitura.

President Uhuru effected the changes at the height of reforms at the agency that was at the time facing numerous allegations of corruption and theft of medical supplies.