Nairobi, May 24 -- Essential cancer, HIV/Aids and malaria medicines worth nearly Sh1 billion expired in Kemsa's warehouses as public hospitals and clinics across the country continued to struggle with severe drug shortages.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu said that the losses included Sh547 million for items like cancer medicines, pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical medical supplies and another lot of Sh367.4 million that Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) hid from the books.

Supplies worth Sh23.9 million under the Ministry of Health programmes, expired after the ministry failed to issue distribution instructions to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and Sh9.3 million of oncology medicines.

Revelations of expired drug...