Court Dismisses Terry Kiunge's Appointment as KEMSA CEO
The appointment of three Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) board members by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was rejected by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
Lydia Kadima 
The appointment of (Rtd) Lawrence Wahome, Terry Kiunge Ramadhani, and Linton Nyaga Kinyua as members of the authority's Board of Directors was unprocedural and lacking in competitiveness, according to Justice Maureen Onyango.
The same appointment was pronounced null and void by her.
Last week Terry Kiunge was appointed as the new KEMSA CEO after John Kabuchi, who was appointed in an acting capacity on December 28, 2021, following the departure of Edward Njoroge.
Njoroge had also taken over after Jonah Manjari and other senior directors at the agency were suspended to enable investigations into allegations of corruption in Covid-19 procurements.
“I have taken over as the CEO of KEMSA, and I am conscious of the immense duty and responsibility ahead. I pay tribute to the team running the show for their passion and dedication to duty. They have set a solid foundation for KEMSA transformation. I intend to accelerate the pace of reforms through a consultative, results-focused management approach with all our stakeholders from staff, suppliers, donor partners, and clients,” Terry Kiunge said.
While announcing Kiunge’s appointment last week, KEMSA Chairperson Mary Mwadime said “In Kiunge, the KEMSA Board is confident that the organizational transformation agenda will be sustained and professionally executed. The Board is united in its resolve to facilitate the proper positioning of KEMSA as an effective Health Products and Technologies (HPTs)supply chain provider in the local public health space.”
Justice Maureen Onyango also dismissed an application challenging KEMSA's decision to make staff redundant or terminate their services while delivering the verdict online.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU) alleged in the application that KEMSA had threatened mass sackings of its more than 900 employees and purported to enlist new workers from the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) and National Youth Service (NYS), in violation of the constitution.
The court, however, found no proof that officers from the military or the NYS were working full-time at KEMSA.
