Kenya—Integrated Pharmaceutical and Supply Chain Technical Assistance (KIPS)

The Government of Kenya and its institutions have taken critical steps to improve the country’s supply chain and pharmaceutical systems, such as improving logistics, financing, and institutional capacities with the support of past and ongoing donor programs. Nevertheless, the current systems remain hindered by underlying technical challenges—such as a lack of skilled personnel, opaque accountability and governance mechanisms, inadequate technology, poor commodity storage conditions, low forecasting capacity and accuracy, and outdated processes at sub-county and facility levels—as well as broader system-level limitations in communications and coordination among the various actors in the system. These systemic issues lead to negative outcomes for Kenyan citizens and healthcare providers in need of commodities, supplies, and care.

The Integrated Pharmaceutical and Supply Chain Technical Assistance (KIPS) Activity, a task order under the NextGen Comprehensive TA (CompTA) IDIQ, works to ensure more sustainable access to—and appropriate use of—quality-assured and affordable health commodities and supplies in Kenya by supporting the development of an increasingly resilient and mature supply chain system and pharmaceutical regulatory systems and services.

KIPS develops the capacity of local systems, institutions, and individuals to sustainably manage supply chains, both for U.S. Agency for International Development-procured health commodities and those procured through national and local systems. It also strengthens local pharmaceutical management systems, including high-quality pharmaceutical services and national regulatory systems.

Working with government counterparts, partners, and other collaborators at national and county levels, DAI aims to bring new energy and new approaches to the process by which we collectively identify, refine, and scale sustainable solutions from among local supply chain and pharmaceutical actors and professionals across Kenya. Taking a patient-centered systems approach, KIPS nurtures a problem-solving culture that encourages continuous performance improvement among key public and private stakeholders and across all functions of the supply chain.

Sample Activities

• Design, pilot, and scale improved distribution and transport strategy.
• Co-create stock management action plans driven by root cause analysis.
• Develop multiyear forecasts for market shaping to incentivize private sector service providers and local manufacturers to participate in tendering.
• Support the adoption of global standard track and trace technologies.
• Support scaling of an automated commodity ordering system.
• Strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s health products regulatory authority.
• Promote approaches to professionalize and diversify the health supply chain workforce, including opportunities to advance the role of women in supply chain and logistics.