The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has shut down 48 unlicensed pharmacies following a week-long enforcement operation across Nairobi and Kajiado counties.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The crackdown, which concluded on June 19, also led to the arrest of 95 individuals suspected of operating illegal pharmaceutical outlets in violation of Kenya’s medicine regulations.

According to PPB, the surveillance exercise targeted 155 pharmaceutical premises, with inspectors identifying widespread non-compliance across several locations in the two counties.

“All the 95 individuals found operating illegally were arrested and have since been presented before court,” the Board said, noting that enforcement action was taken against outlets that failed to meet licensing requirements.

📌 What You Need to Know

The operations involved inspectors visiting 155 premises spread across Kibra, Korogocho, Eastleigh, Dandora, Mathare, Embakasi, Nairobi West, and Rongai during the exercise.

The suspects are currently facing charges in courts sitting in Kajiado, Kibra and Makadara, with verdicts still pending.

To ensure the closures remain in force, the Board wrote to county security commanders, county governments, and the National Police Service (NPS), directing them to prevent the affected outlets from resuming operations.

Officers also confiscated about 169 cartons of medicines from the raided premises, with the seized stock being held pending court directions on disposal.

The crackdown comes amid growing public concern over unsafe pharmaceutical practices, including a recent incident in Eldoret in which a pharmacy worker allegedly gave a mother skin cream instead of eye drops for her child, instructing her to apply it directly into the child’s eyes.

The incident reportedly led to severe complications, including the child losing sight, and sparked public outrage after it emerged that the worker was not a registered pharmacist.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke