MEDS Marks 40 Years with Launch of Commercial Arm to Expand Access to Quality Healthcare Products
By Fride Amiani
Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) has launched a new commercial company, MEDS Devane Company Limited (MDCL), as the organisation celebrates 40 years of providing quality and affordable healthcare solutions in Kenya and beyond.
The new company, which is scheduled to commence operations on November 1, 2026, will extend MEDS’ established supply-chain services to Kenya’s private healthcare sector, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories and medical distributors.
The launch was presided over by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during MEDS’ 40th anniversary celebrations held in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The ceremony also saw the unveiling of the MEDS-Strathmore Supply Chain Academy, alongside the introduction of MDCL’s corporate identity and a preview of its upcoming website.
Speaking during the launch, MDCL Board of Directors Chairperson Rt. Rev. Benard Owuor said the establishment of the commercial entity responds to the changing demands of Kenya’s healthcare sector.
“As Kenya’s healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the private healthcare sector, pharmacies and other healthcare institutions require a commercially responsive partner that understands the urgency, complexity and responsibility of healthcare delivery,” Owuor said.
The company will supply quality-assured medicines, medical consumables, diagnostic products, laboratory equipment, infection prevention and control solutions, orthopaedic implants and other specialised healthcare products.
Its operations will be supported by traceable supply-chain systems designed to enhance reliability and accountability in the distribution of medical supplies.
While its immediate focus will be Kenya, MDCL intends to expand its services to selected markets across East Africa in the longer term.
Owuor said the company would operate as a distinct, professionally governed commercial entity while complementing MEDS’ not-for-profit mandate.
“Our ambition is not only to grow a successful company, but to grow a trusted company,” he said.
“We believe that commercial success and positive health impact can, and should, go together.”
He added that the new entity would build on MEDS’ established reputation for quality and affordability while responding to the specific requirements of private healthcare providers.
MEDS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wycliffe Nandama, who will also serve as MDCL’s Acting General Manager, said the company was established to address the operational challenges faced by healthcare institutions.
He noted that healthcare providers require more than the availability of products, emphasising the importance of dependable supply chains, professional support and timely delivery.
“Today’s healthcare customers need more than products on a shelf. They need quality assurance, dependable availability, timely delivery, professional support and a partner who understands that every product supplied can have a direct impact on patient care,” Nandama said.
“Our commitment is simple: quality products, reliable service and meaningful partnerships.”
Nandama observed that the effectiveness of healthcare delivery depends significantly on the systems responsible for moving medicines and medical technologies from suppliers to patients.
“The strength of healthcare depends not only on the medicine itself, but also on the strength of the supply chain that carries it from innovation to the patient,” he said.
The new company has been named after Rev. Sr. Joan Devane, an American medical missionary and pharmacist who founded MEDS in 1986.
MEDS began its operations in a small warehouse in Ruaraka, Nairobi, with a stock of just 30 products.
Four decades later, the organisation stocks more than 2,000 healthcare products and technologies, serves medical facilities in all 47 counties and has reached more than 10,000 clients.
Its Quality Control Laboratory, which is prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO), has supported quality assurance activities in more than 46 countries and analysed approximately 2,350 samples in 2025.
Additionally, MEDS’ Health Systems Strengthening programmes reach more than 20,000 healthcare workers annually.
The organisation became a self-sustaining social enterprise in 2005, ending its reliance on donor funding.
Owuor said the founder’s legacy remained central to the organisation’s identity and the establishment of the new company.
“Her legacy reminds us that healthcare is not simply about products and transactions; it is about service, trust, professionalism and the wellbeing of communities,” he said.
Addressing the anniversary gathering, Duale commended MEDS for its contribution to healthcare quality assurance, particularly its collaboration with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in laboratory testing and post-market surveillance to identify substandard and falsified medical products.
“I want in particular to recognize MEDS for a contribution that may be less visible than the delivery of supplies, but is just as important: its commitment to quality assurance,” Duale said.
The Cabinet Secretary highlighted MEDS’ WHO prequalification, which it has maintained since 2009, alongside its ISO 9001:2015 certification and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
He said maintaining these standards over time demonstrated the organisation’s commitment to institutional discipline and reliable systems.
“Maintaining such demanding standards over time speaks to the discipline of its staff and the strength of its systems,” he said.
Duale also underscored the role of faith-based healthcare institutions in advancing the government’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
He revealed that 876 faith-based health facilities had active contracts with the Social Health Authority (SHA), with KSh29.8 billion paid against claims amounting to KSh41.1 billion.
“Universal health coverage is realised at the point of care. It depends on a facility being open, a health worker being available, a patient being able to afford treatment, and quality-assured medicine being there when it is needed,” Duale said.
He urged MEDS to preserve its founding values while strengthening its capacity to respond to emerging healthcare demands.
“As you enter your fifth decade, I encourage you to preserve the values on which you were founded while investing in the capabilities the future will demand,” he said.
“Kenya needs strong supply systems, skilled health workers and dependable, independent quality testing capacity. MEDS has an important role in each of these areas.”
The anniversary celebrations were held under the theme, “Celebrating 40 Years of Life Saving Health Solutions – Legacy. Impact. Posterity.”
The event brought together representatives of MEDS’ founding institutions, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), alongside government officials, development partners, suppliers and staff.
Murang’a Governor Dr. Irungu Kang’ata and MEDS Board of Trustees and Directors Chairman Rt. Rev. Cleophas Oseso also addressed the gathering.
In his closing remarks, Owuor invited private healthcare providers to partner with MDCL, saying the company would extend the quality and affordability associated with MEDS to a broader market. “MDCL is built on trust and designed for tomorrow,” he said.
“We are proud to launch a company that combines commercial sustainability with a lasting commitment to quality healthcare.”
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