Counties owe Kenya Medical Supplies Authority a total of Sh6 billion.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, Kemsa chairperson Irungu Nyakera said even though counties have been making efforts to clear their pending bills, four counties account for Sh464 million of the total debt owed.
According to data by Kemsa, Nairobi owes the largest amount with the current debt standing at Sh235 million.
The other counties are Homa Bay, Kakamega and Taita Taveta.
Homa Bay owes Sh104 million, Kakamega Sh66 million with Taita Taveta topping up the remaining balance.
“Counties are paying, there are some special cases which we are dealing with but 90 per cent of them are doing well. The problem counties are Nairobi, Homa Bay, Kakamega and Taita Taveta,” Nyakera said.
He said all old bills had been cleared and that all debts had been accrued from new supplies.
According to Nyakera, the authority owes suppliers Sh3.2 billion.
“If we were paid all the money, we would pay all our suppliers and we would be left with enough for us but the issue is that even as counties pay, if a county pays Sh100 million today, tomorrow they will come and collect drugs worth Sh200 million and we will give them because for us we are here to serve the counties,” he said.
A total of 43 counties are now purchasing regularly from Kemsa compared to less than 30 that were previously doing that.
Early last year, in March, Nairobi county hospitals received their first batch of drugs after a three-year dry spell.
Governor Johnson Sakaja flagged off the health products and other supplies from Kemsa worth Sh244 million, which were distributed to 118 health facilities within the County.
The three years of acute shortages were occasioned by the non-supply of essential medicines and other supplies.
The last drug supplies were received in March 2020.
The distribution of the consignment was actualized by negotiations and settlement of the Kemsa debt of Sh185.1 million.
