Kenya Is Overstocked With Condoms- Health CS On Shortage
Wafula stated that Kenya has an inventory consisting of 38 million condoms stocked throughout the nation...
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Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha Wafula has denied reports that Kenya has had a shortage of condoms across the country.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, January 4, Wafula stated that Kenya has an inventory consisting of 38 million condoms stocked throughout the nation.
She noted that the alleged deficiency in condoms in health facilities and other public institutions was triggered by the lapse in the supply process between the government and the institutions.
A packet of condoms. /BBC
On revealing the process it takes for condoms to reach Kenyans at local dispensers, she added that the National Aids Control Council (NACC) also generates distribution lists that are also sent to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
“I would like to clarify to Kenyans that we do not have a shortage of condoms in the country. As a matter of fact, we have 38 million pieces of condoms as of this morning. This vis-à-vis the population of Kenyans, you can see that we are overstocked.
“We have sufficient quantities. We have a challenge with how these condoms get to mwananchi because of the process. A health facility has to request condoms by consolidating their orders to the county. We then get one order from the county and send it to KEMSA,” she said.
Additionally she unveiled a new system of distribution that would ensure that Kenyans received protective gadgets on time which was being developed by the government.
She also acknowledged the hitches witnessed in the countrywide condom supply late in 2022, attributing it to a go-slow in confirming the quality of condoms before they could be released to the public.
"38 million pieces have been confirmed to be of quality and ready for use. We shall work with the counties to ensure that the orders are delivered on good time," she stated.
Wafula's statement came days after Kenyans expressed concerns regarding the absence of condoms in various public dispensers and health facilities given the rising rate of HIV infections in some parts of the country.
The County Aid Control Officer Fred Barasa in November told journalists that the situation was dire, with people who could not afford new condoms resorting to washing and reusing them.
Afya House, headquarters of the Ministry of Health. /FILE
