Kemsa chief executive Jonah Manjari Mwangi said Nairobi has not cleared a Sh235 million debt while Narok owes Sh104 million.
Nairobi Health executive Hitan Majevdia said they had paid Sh51 million before the end of the last financial year and are striving to clear the debt.
Data from KEMSA shows that Kitui, Mandera, Makueni, Nyandarua, Embu and Laikipia are among the best paying counties.
Nairobi and Narok counties top the list of debtors that owe the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) Sh2.3 billion for medical supplies.
Kemsa chief executive Jonah Manjari Mwangi said Nairobi has not cleared a Sh235 million debt while Narok owes Sh104 million.
“County debts are dynamic as they accumulate based on demand-driven procurement but debts of Nairobi and Nandi are older than one year,” he said.
Nairobi Health executive Hitan Majevdia said they had paid Sh51 million before the end of the last financial year and are striving to clear the debt.
“Some of the balance is provided for in the next financial year and we hope that they continue to provide the drugs needed in the hospitals,” he said.
Dr Majevdia said the reason why some hospitals are out of medicine is not due to the Kemsa debt but due to under purchasing.
“There is an imbalance since some facilities over purchase the drugs while others make poor projections and since we order every three months some end out of stock before time,” he said.
Council of Governors’ health committee chairman Mohammed Kuti said the debt was due to the Treasury delays in disbursing funds to the counties.
“The challenge is that money does not come in as planned yet the hospitals have to run and at this point, we have to prioritise so we even make payment plans,” he said.