KEMSA’s refurbishment at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital aims to improve medicine storage and safety.
KEMSA has handed over the refurbished store in Mombasa to strengthen medicine storage and stock management for services reaching more than 300,000 people.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has handed over the refurbished Port Reitz medicine store in Mombasa. The upgrade aims to protect essential medicines and improve stock management at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir presided over the handover. The hospital serves more than 300,000 people in Changamwe, Jomvu and surrounding areas.
KEMSA chief executive Waqo Ejersa said the project falls under its 2025/2026 corporate social responsibility programme. It follows an April 2025 assessment by KEMSA, county officials and hospital management that identified inadequate storage and deteriorating infrastructure.
Port Reitz medicine store gets temperature and security upgrades
The works included a ceiling, air conditioning and floor improvements. Additional windows with security grills and new doors also aim to improve ventilation and security.
Other improvements included storage rack repairs, reinforcement of cracked walls, and construction of a washroom and offices. Meanwhile, new gutters will support rainwater harvesting, while perimeter paving aims to limit pests and water damage.
KEMSA said the changes would support safer receipt, storage and distribution of medical supplies. They should also strengthen inventory management and reduce avoidable deterioration and losses.
Ejersa stressed that protecting medicine quality requires more than procurement and delivery. Suitable storage must also preserve products until they reach patients.
Routine monitoring remains essential
However, Ejersa said infrastructure improvements must go hand in hand with regular temperature checks and accurate inventory records. Equipment maintenance and compliance with product-specific storage requirements remain essential too.
He warned that unsuitable temperatures, moisture, pests and inadequate security could compromise medicines. Appropriate facilities therefore help maintain compliance with storage and distribution guidance from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and World Health Organization.
Nassir welcomed the refurbishment as a practical example of cooperation between national institutions and county governments. He also emphasised accountability in managing public health supplies and preventing avoidable losses.
County partnerships support medicine access
Ejersa praised Mombasa County for allocating resources to medical supplies and settling payments promptly. He said predictable financing helps sustain KEMSA’s revolving fund, which supports medicine procurement and distribution nationwide.
Meanwhile, Nassir said the county would continue working with KEMSA to secure quality, affordable medicines and other supplies.
The project forms part of KEMSA’s wider programme to strengthen county health systems. Previous support includes medicine store improvements at Mtwapa Sub-County Hospital in Kilifi and Msambweni County Referral Hospital in Kwale.
KEMSA has also supported a laboratory at Nyonjoro Health Centre in Nakuru. It is finalising another laboratory project at Dakabaricha Dispensary in Marsabit.
