MEDS Marks 40 Years with the Launch of MDCL to Supply Kenya’s Private Healthcare Sector
PHOTO: Health CS Aden Duale (third left) unveils the new logo and corporate colors for MEDS Devane Company Limited during MEDS’ 40th anniversary in Nairobi. Joining him (L-R) are Health PS Mary Muriuki, MDCL Board Chairman Rt. Rev. Benard Owuor, MEDS CEO Dr. Wycliffe Nandama, and MEDS Board Chairman Rt. Rev. Cleophas Oseso.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 30 – Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) has officially launched a new commercial venture, MEDS Devane Company Limited (MDCL) expanding its medical supply chain network to Kenya’s private healthcare sector.
The announcement was made on September 29 during MEDS’ 40th-anniversary of expanding access to quality, affordable health products in Kenya and beyond, Held under the theme “Celebrating 40 Years of Life Saving Health Solutions-Legacy. Impact. Posterity.” MDCL is scheduled to begin full commercial operations on November 1, 2026.
The ceremony brought together representatives of MEDS’ founding institutions, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), alongside government, partners, suppliers and staff.
Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale presided over the double launch of MDCL and the newly established MEDS-Strathmore Supply Chain Academy. The unveiling included a live demonstration of MDCL’s corporate identity, logo and digital portal at www.mdcl.co.ke.
MDCL is designed to operate as a distinct, professionally governed commercial entity, It will supply private hospitals, retail pharmacies, clinics, laboratories, corporate institutions, and distributors across Kenya, with long-term plans to expand into the broader East African market.
Its product portfolio will encompass: Quality-assured prescription and essential medicines, Medical consumables and infection prevention supplies, Diagnostic tools and laboratory equipment, Orthopaedic implants and other specialized products, backed by traceable supply-chain systems.
“As Kenya’s healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the private healthcare sector requires a commercially responsive partner that understands the urgency, complexity, and responsibility of healthcare delivery. MDCL has been established to meet this need”, said Rt. Rev. Benard Owuor, Chair of the MDCL Board of Directors.
“Our ambition is not only to grow a successful company, but to grow a trusted company, We believe that commercial success and positive health impact can, and should, go together”, He added.
Dr. Wycliffe Nandama, CEO of MEDS and Acting General Manager of MDCL, emphasized that the company was structured to solve distribution friction for private providers by offering dependable, traceable supply-chain systems.
“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,” said Mr. Nandama.
“Our commitment is simple: quality products, reliable service and meaningful partnerships.”
The company is named after Rev. Sr. Joan Devane, the American medical missionary and pharmacist who founded MEDS in 1986 in a small warehouse in Ruaraka, Nairobi, stocking just 30 products.
“Her legacy reminds us that healthcare is not simply about products and transactions; it is about service, trust, professionalism and the wellbeing of communities”.
Four decades on, MEDS stocks more than 2,000 health products and technologies, serves facilities in all 47 counties and has reached more than 10,000 clients.
Its WHO-prequalified Quality Control Laboratory has supported quality assurance in more than 46 countries and analysed approximately 2,350 samples in 2025 alone with Health Systems Strengthening programmes reaching more than 20,000 healthcare workers every year, a foundation the new Supply Chain Academy will build on.
MEDS became a self-sustaining social enterprise in 2005, ending its reliance on donor funding.
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale while speaking during the celebration commended MEDS for its role in quality assurance, noting its work with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on laboratory testing and post-market surveillance to detect substandard and falsified health 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,” said CS Duale.
He cited MEDS’ World Health Organization prequalification since 2009, ISO 9001:2015 certification and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, saying that maintaining such demanding standards over time “speaks to the discipline of its staff and the strength of its systems.”
CS Duale recognised the contribution of faith-based health facilities to Government’s universal health coverage agenda, with 876 faith-based health facilities holding active contracts with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and KSh 29.8 billion paid out against claims worth KSh 41.1 billion.
He further said progress under SHA must be accompanied by continued improvements in claims processing and settlement stressing that reliable and timely payments will enable health facilities to maintain uninterrupted services and ensure the consistent availability of essential medicines and supplies.
“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,” he said.
As MEDS enters its fifth decade, the CS called for greater investment in resilient supply chains, a skilled and adequately equipped health workforce and strong independent quality-testing systems.
“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,” said Dr. Nandama.
Rt. Rev. Owuor while closing the launch called on private healthcare providers to partner with MDCL for the same quality and affordability MEDS is known for.
“MDCL is built on trust and designed for tomorrow, We are proud to launch a company that combines commercial sustainability with a lasting commitment to quality healthcare.”
