KEMSA Support Program Quarterly Progress Report April 1-June 30, 2012

The goal of the project is to support KEMSA in strengthening its ability to provide client sites throughout the country with the right quantity of quality commodities, and in a timely manner, for effective service provision. The key result areas for the project include strengthening KEMSA's operational mandate, governance architecture and practice, inventory management and tracking systems, warehousing and distribution systems, and internal performance monitoring. The project's accomplishments during the period of April 1 through June 30, 2012, include the completion of the first reading of the KEMSA Bill in Parliament, an in-depth analysis of the Customer Service function, a strengthened transportation framework, and identification and capacity building of KEMSA's Monitoring & Evaluation Champions. The project team led and participated in several critical meetings and workshops, including the bimonthly KEMSA Finance Team Departmental Meetings and the weekly Supplementary Service Division (SSD) Meetings. During the SSD meetings, the project team provided input into mapping the finance process flows, which are currently being integrated into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system by Alliance Technologies. The project team also participated in the Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) demonstration meetings, and follow-up presentations of the overall process and the demo (pilot) system were presented to various stakeholders. Preliminary testing of the LMIS is planned for the KEMSA Customer Service functions, and a steering committee meeting has been scheduled for July 2012. The customer service team held a one-day workshop with the Field Customer Service Officers (FCSOs) to review the existing reporting and field visit tools to discuss improvement opportunities. The project team also conducted a Performance Management Skills Building Workshop, which introduced PM concepts and best practices to M&E Champions and data handlers, and improved data quality skills through Excel refresher training. The governance architecture and practice of KEMSA were strengthened through the project's efforts. The project team worked with KEMSA to determine the list of key stakeholders to be invited by the Parliament to provide comments on the KEMSA Bill. After comments are received by the stakeholders, their input will be used to strengthen the Bill before its second reading in Parliament. The project's accomplishments during the quarter also include the identification and capacity building of KEMSA's Monitoring & Evaluation Champions. The project team conducted a Key Performance Indicators Mini Workshop, which clarified KEMSA KPI definitions, defined data sources, responsible individuals, and reporting timelines for KEMSA KPIs. The project team also conducted a Customer Service Field Officer Workshop, which documented input from the field officers on existing reporting tools and checklists for future improvement efforts, reviewed existing emergency order process, and defined the proposed 'To-Be' process. The project's overall goal is to create a more unified, integrated, and responsive national supply chain system in Kenya. The successful implementation of this project will allow KEMSA to deliver more effective, efficient, and sustainable commodity procurement, warehousing, and distribution services to client health facilities throughout the country.