Share this
All employees of the government-owned drugs distributor could lose their jobs in a major restructuring being implemented by the company’s board. The organization that has been in the recent past been bogged down with corruption scandals today issued a notice of redundancy to its more than 700 staff members,
“The changes will among other things, re-examine the various roles played by each of its (Kemsa) employees and redesigning those roles so as to achieve the objective of the restructuring and align the roles to the approved staff numbers.” the notice read in part.
“The said exercise may lead to some or all positions as presently constituted being rendered redundant,” the notice continued.
The looming staff reorganization is part of changes being put in place by the new board led by Mary Chao Mwadime which was appointed on the 28th of April 2021. The board is seeking to streamline the organization’s finances and inefficiencies affecting supply chain, warehousing and procurement.
Employees at KEMSA have in the past few weeks suffered anxiety as they contemplated their fate. A staff member who spoke to us on condition of anonymity explained to this writer that staff have been breaking down in the offices fearing for their jobs.
“The last few weeks have been tough. I have seen people crying in the washrooms and inside their cars. Today, we have finally come face to face with that fate. Many of us do not even know what we are going to do,”she says.
The reorganization process is expected to take one month, and KEMSA has in the meantime directed all employees to work from home starting tomorrow.
“In view of the foregoing, the KEMSA board deems it fit to implement a working from home mode. This letter, therefore, directs that all staff work from home with effect from 05 November 2021 except for staff tasked with essential services,” the notice said.
The new board has also put in place a caretaker management team which will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the institution as consultations take place over the next one month.
“The core operating teams under a caretaker management team have been notified, appointed and mobilised to ensure seamless operations in the intervening period. The Board confirms that the necessary interventions have been put in place to avoid undue disruptions to service delivery and day to day operations,” said Ms Mwadime in a statement.
There have been rumours that President Kenyatta’s administration is looking at handing over the agency either the NYS or to the military as it did with Kenya Meat Commission.
