MEDS Unveils New Commercial Arm as It Marks 40 Years of Healthcare Service
By Faith Wanza
Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) has launched MEDS Devane Company Limited (MDCL), a new commercial healthcare company targeting Kenya’s private healthcare market.
The launch was held in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, during MEDS’ 40th anniversary celebrations, marking four decades of providing quality and affordable health products and services.
MDCL, which opens for business on November 1, 2026, will serve private hospitals, retail pharmacies, laboratories, corporates and distributors with medicines, medical consumables, diagnostics, laboratory products, infection prevention and control solutions, orthopaedic implants and specialised medical equipment.
The company will initially focus on the Kenyan market, with plans to expand into selected markets across East Africa.
MDCL was officially launched by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale alongside the new MEDS Supply Chain Strengthening Academy at a ceremony held in Nairobi.
The event also featured the unveiling of MDCL’s corporate identity, logo, colours and its upcoming website.
Speaking during the celebration, MDCL Board Chairman Rt. Rev. Benard Owuor said the new company was established in response to the changing needs of the private 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,” said Rev. Owuor.
“MDCL has been established to meet this need.”
The chairman said the company would operate as a distinct and professionally governed commercial entity, with the goal of expanding access to quality health products while maintaining the values associated with MEDS.
“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.”
MEDS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wycliffe Nandama, who is also MDCL’s Acting General Manager, said the company had been designed around the needs of private healthcare providers.
“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,” Dr. Nandama said.
“Our commitment is simple: quality products, reliable service and meaningful partnerships.”
MDCL is named after Rev. Sr. Joan Devane, an American medical missionary and pharmacist who founded MEDS in 1986 in a small warehouse in Ruaraka, Nairobi, with only 30 products.
According to Rt. Rev. Owuor, her legacy continues to shape the organisation’s approach to healthcare.
“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.
For four decades, MEDS has grown to stock more than 2,000 health products and technologies and serves healthcare facilities in all 47 counties, reaching 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.
The organisation also runs Health Systems Strengthening programmes that reach more than 20,000 healthcare workers annually, while its Supply Chain Academy is expected to further strengthen skills within the sector.
Speaking at the ceremony, CS Duale commended MEDS for its contribution to quality assurance, particularly its collaboration with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on laboratory testing and post-market surveillance to identify 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 noted that MEDS’ WHO prequalification since 2009, ISO 9001:2015 certification and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation demonstrated its continued focus on maintaining quality standards.
The Cabinet Secretary also described faith-based health facilities as important partners in the Government’s Universal Health Coverage agenda, noting their role in providing healthcare services to communities.
“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,” CS Duale 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.”
He added that the strength of healthcare depended not only on medicine but also on the supply systems that ensure products reach patients.
The launch was held under the theme “Celebrating 40 Years of Life Saving Health Solutions – Legacy. Impact. Posterity.” It brought together representatives from MEDS’ founding institutions, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Christian Health Association of Kenya, government, partners, suppliers and staff.
Closing the launch, Rt. Rev. Owuor called on private healthcare providers to partner with MDCL, saying the company would combine commercial sustainability with its commitment to quality healthcare.“MDCL is built on trust and designed for tomorrow,” he said.
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