Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has issued a statement following the Auditor General's report that expired drugs were discovered at Nakuru County Referral Hospital.
In a statement on Wednesday, March 5, County Executive Committee Member for Health Services Roselyn Mungai explained that the first batch, consisting of program drugs donated by a development partner, expired due to a change in user protocol.
“The first set of drugs consists of ‘program drugs’ donated by our development partner. The expiration of these drugs was caused by a change in the user protocol, which necessitated the stoppage of their distribution,” she stated.
Mungai said the second batch, short expiry drugs donated by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), were not purchased by the county and were not part of essential medicines used in the hospital.
“The second set of drugs was a documented donation from KEMSA of ‘short expiry drugs,’ intended for high-volume facilities. These were not purchased and were certainly not part of our essential medicines. Once drugs expire, the hospital cannot dispose of them until a stringent audit and disposal process is completed,” she added.
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A recent report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealed that the expired drugs and medical supplies in question were found in the hospital's stores.
"A review of records from the pharmacy department at Nakuru Level Five Hospital on October 8, 2024, revealed that drugs amounting to Ksh1.8 million had expired during the year under review but were still in the stores," the report said.
The audit, conducted on October 8, 2024, uncovered that the expired items had remained in storage throughout the 2023/2024 financial year, indicating lapses in inventory management and internal controls.
The Auditor-General's report criticized the hospital for lacking proper structures to monitor drug procurement and stock levels.
“It was observed that the department had failed to develop proper internal controls to monitor stock levels and the nature of stores, as required under Regulation 158(1)(b) of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015,” the report added.
