Dr. Lucy Machocho

I am in charge of managing end-to-end sourcing and procurement of Health Products and Technologies, ensuring reliable, affordable, and quality access to healthcare commodities across Kenya and Africa. I specialize in strategic procurement, supplier relationship management, contract negotiations, and operational excellence within complex healthcare supply chains. My experience spans procurement operations, supplier performance management, and cross-functional team leadership. 1. Leading and managing a high-performing procurement team of 10 professionals, ensuring continuous availability of HPTs within established turnaround timelines. 2. Oversee end-to-end procurement operations for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, laboratory commodities, and non-pharmaceutical supplies while driving operational efficiency, compliance, and cost optimization across a KES 6.7 billion procurement portfolio. 3. Negotiate supplier pricing and commercial agreements, delivering cost savings of over KES 15 million while maintaining quality and supply continuity. 4. Drive supplier relationship and performance management initiatives to improve on-time delivery, mitigate stock-outs, strengthen supply chain resilience, and enhance patient access to essential health products. 5. Supported the development and implementation of the MEDS procurement policy and manual to strengthen governance, compliance, and operational efficiency across procurement processes. 6. Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to improve product availability, optimize lead-time management, and strengthen overall service delivery and procurement performance.

I lead APN's strategic business development and stakeholder engagement portfolio, driving brand visibility, market expansion, and organizational impact across Africa's pharmaceutical landscape. My work is centered around pharmaceutical workforce development and pharmaceutical systems strengthening. Key Responsibilities: Drive strategic partnerships with national professional associations and societies to promote sustainable pharmaceutical workforce development. Provide technical guidance for all marketing and communication materials, ensuring alignment with APN’s brand positioning and stakeholder expectations. Oversee stakeholder mapping, engagement, and relationship management to unlock growth opportunities and strengthen APN’s positioning as a thought leader in the pharmaceutical industry. Coordinate training programs and curate and moderate high-level industry discussion forums focused on emerging pharmaceutical and public health trends and policy affairs. Represent the organization in regional and industry forums, identifying collaboration and partnership opportunities to expand APN’s reach. Key Achievements: 1. Initiated and secured formal partnerships with national pharmaceutical societies in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Kenya to collaboratively strengthen the pharmaceutical workforce. 2. Curated, organized, and delivered 20+ webinars on emerging trends in Africa’s pharmaceutical landscape. 4. Successfully trained 4,000+ professionals globally through industry discussion forums, advancing knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry. 5. Coordinate and provide oversight for APN’s three flagship training programs, leading a faculty of 6 and ensuring seamless delivery across sessions that have trained 300+ professionals across the continent. 6. Led stakeholder mapping and engagement securing collaborations with regulatory bodies including TMDA, PPB, Swissmedic, European Medicines Agency (EMA), EAC MRH, ZAZIBONA.

Led a steering team of 13, providing strategic direction in the execution of their mandates and fostering a culture of continous learning. Spearheaded a team of six in organizing a three day Annual Youth Voices Summit, successfully mobilizing resources and managing a $6000 budget. The summit provided a platform for 75 young healthcare professionals to engage, learn and network. Led the development and implementation of the 2024 Youth Voices Network mentorship program, coordinating training projects and empowering 35 young healthcare professionals. Developed detailed concept notes and reports to foster transparency and collaboration on project milestones, keeping stakeholders well-informed and actively engaged in project developments.

Educated and counseled patients on medications, dosages, frequency, common side effects, and interactions, fostering understanding and compliance. Conducted comprehensive routine physical assessments, including HIV/AIDS testing, blood sugar monitoring, and blood pressure monitoring. Successfully persuaded over 50% of patients to commit to regular blood pressure and glucose monitoring, resulting in more than 75% of patients demonstrating improved readings following comprehensive education on lifestyle modifications. Supported in oversight of storage conditions in the finished products warehouse, maintaining regulatory compliance and ensuring the highest levels of quality and safety. Supported in managing the receipt of raw materials, conducting inspections to verify quantity and quality, and taking ownership of ensuring specified requirements were met. Successfully determined and adjusted family planning and vaccine orders for seven Ruaraka subcounty hospitals at the Ruaraka subcounty store, optimizing inventory levels based on factors such as population served and existing stock. Devised an efficient file retrieval system to facilitate easy access of old bin cards, reducing inventory management time by about 65%.

Assessing Vaccines Supply Chain System in EAC Region, Challenges, and Opportunities. Case Study: Republic of Kenya and Republic of Rwanda