Kihika Responds to Allegations of Nakuru Hospital Giving Expired Drugs to HIV Patients
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has strongly dismissed allegations that Nakuru Level Five Hospital distributed expired HIV/AIDS drugs to patients.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 5, Kihika explained that the drugs in question had expired before 2022 and were no longer in use due to changes in treatment protocols. She emphasized that while the drugs had indeed expired, they were not prescribed to patients, as claimed in some reports.
The governor further clarified that the disposal process was delayed because the Global Fund—an international health financing organization—had to conduct an audit before any expired medication could be discarded.
Her statement was supported by Roselyn Mungai, the Head of the Nakuru County Department for Health Services, who revealed that the expired medicines were program drugs initially donated by a development partner. Mungai explained that the reason for their expiry was a change in user protocols, which rendered the drugs obsolete before they could be distributed.
Additionally, Mungai disclosed that another batch of expired drugs was received as a short-expiry donation from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA). These medicines were specifically meant for high-volume health facilities, but they were never included in the essential medicines supplied to Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
“Once drugs expire, the hospital cannot dispose of them until a stringent audit and disposal process is completed,” Mungai stated.
He further emphasized the importance of allowing the Department of Health to formally address such concerns. “The Department of Health must be allowed to provide a formal response on these matters and all similar issues. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability in our Department of Health Services,” he added.
The clarification comes after reports circulated in the media suggesting that expired drugs worth Ksh1.8 million were found in the hospital’s storage. These reports referenced an audit conducted for the 2023/2024 financial year, in which Auditor General Nancy Gathungu raised concerns over the hospital’s failure to dispose of expired medicine and medical equipment.
Gathungu also criticized the hospital’s administration, citing weak internal controls and inadequate structures for managing drug procurement. According to her findings, the lack of proper regulatory mechanisms increased the risk of expired medications accumulating in hospital stores, which could potentially endanger patients if not handled correctly.
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Kihika Responds to Allegations of Nakuru Hospital Giving Expired Drugs to HIV Patients
