NMS Ordered to Account for Expired Medicines Worth Sh8 Billion

By Skika Reporter

Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has directed the National Medical Stores (NMS) to submit a comprehensive inventory of medicines that expired during the 2024/25 financial year, following concerns over non-viable stock valued at more than Sh8 billion.

The directive was issued by COSASE chairperson Muwadda Nkunyingi during a meeting with NMS top management led by Executive Director Moses Kamabare at Parliament on Thursday.

Nkunyingi instructed NMS to clearly distinguish between medicines procured using government funds and those donated by development partners.

“In the list you will provide to the committee, you will indicate which items were donated and what items were procured by the Government of Uganda,” Nkunyingi said.

He warned that the committee was investigating a potential financial loss to taxpayers and that officials responsible would be held accountable if satisfactory explanations were not provided.

“As you attempt to respond to these rising concerns, be mindful that we are interrogating a financial loss, and if not well accounted for, then we have to identify who among you or all caused the Government of Uganda this financial loss. This invites a more technical and convincing response,” he added.

The directive follows findings by Auditor General Edward Akol, whose report on NMS for the 2024/25 financial year revealed that the agency held non-viable stock worth Sh8.04 billion. Of this amount, medicines purchased using government resources were valued at Sh532 million, while donated medicines accounted for Sh7.507 billion. The report also indicated that NMS spent Sh3.685 billion destroying expired medicines during the year.

The findings sparked criticism from lawmakers, who questioned how such a large volume of medicines could expire while many public health facilities continue to experience persistent drug shortages.

Bukoto South MP Hakim Kizza Sawula challenged NMS to explain the nature of the expired medicines.

“We live with ordinary people and know how they suffer. For sure, there is no type of medicine which cannot be consumed by the public. Looking at the range of diseases out there, can the executive director tell us the exact type of medicine that expired so that we can ascertain whether that medicine was not required by the public?” Sawula asked.

Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi Muntu also questioned the agency’s internal stock management systems, demanding copies of its stock control manual and internal audit reports to determine whether inventory procedures had been properly followed.

In response, NMS Executive Director Moses Kamabare defended the agency, insisting that the majority of the expired medicines were not essential drugs required by patients.

He explained that more than 90 percent of the expired stock consisted of medicines that had become obsolete or were no longer in demand, including leftover Covid-19 vaccines that many Ugandans declined after the pandemic.

Kamabare further noted that some expired medicines had been phased out following changes in treatment guidelines for HIV and tuberculosis.

“There are certain medicines that we grew up knowing for TB and HIV treatment which now cannot be taken by any of the patients because the World Health Organization and ministries of health have replaced them with newer medicines,” he said.

However, Nkunyingi maintained that such explanations must be backed by documentary evidence from the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities.

“We also need scientific and acceptable evidence that there was no requisition or need for those medicines and proof that they had been overtaken by newer treatments,” he said.

Moroto District Woman MP Stella Atyang questioned whether development partners followed any guidelines before donating medicines, asking whether Uganda risked becoming a dumping ground for unwanted pharmaceutical products.

Meanwhile, Busia Municipality MP Ismail Sowed Mulemya demanded that NMS provide the names of all expired medicines, their quantities, expiry dates and whether district health officers had been consulted before the drugs were distributed.

The committee is expected to review NMS’s detailed inventory and supporting documentation before determining whether losses incurred through the expired medicines could have been avoided and whether any officials should be held accountable.