24 pharmacists arrested, 30 unlicensed chemists shut in latest crackdown

 

Pharmacy and Poisons Board inspector Dr  Tom Mwangi unpacks packets of medicine from the shelf at one of the Chemists in Mbotela, Nairobi County. [Mercy Kahenda, Standard]

At least 24 fake Pharmacists have been arrested and 30 Chemists closed in a crackdown being carried out in Nairobi County by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) officials.

Led by PPB inspector Dr Tom Mwangi, the officials said the arrested persons will be charged in Court with offenses under the PPB Act that prohibits operating a pharmaceutical business without a license from the Board.

“Since we started the operation last week on Monday, so far we have been able to arrest 24 persons and managed to close 30 pharmaceutical outlets,” said Dr Mwangi.

He said the operation aims to get rid of unqualified pharmacists as well as existing illegal pharmaceutical outlets across the country.

Dr Mwangi said illegal pharmaceutical outlets pose a public health danger to the public, considering that they don't meet the standards set by PPB.

“So medicines are not stored in the right manner. You also find they are run by Professionals who are not registered pharmacists”, he said.

He also said such outlets were at times used as avenues to sell illegal drugs such as narcotics.

“You will find there will be the sale of medicines without prescription which promotes even the sale of narcotics and psychotropic substances without prescriptions”, added Dr  Mwangi.

He made the remarks today in Mbotela, Nairobi County where the PPB officials in partnership with the officers from the National Police Service were able to shut down two illegal chemists.

“Right now we are in Mbotela area of Nairobi County where in this area we had done mapping and identified 2 illegal premises and today in the company of the National Police Service officers we've managed to arrest the operators and ceased medicines from the illegal premises”, said Dr.  Mwangi.

He said the operation, which kicked off late January 2024, is continuous. “We want to tell the public that this operation will go on continuously to ensure that we totally read the country of these illegal pharmaceutical outlets”, he said. 

Apart from Nairobi, the crackdown is further being undertaken in all the other 46 Counties across the Country.

PPB head of enforcement and surveillance Dr Julius Kaluai said Regional Coordinators are in charge of County operations.

He said the crackdown was informed by a Presidential directive that ordered respective bodies to get rid of the sale and consumption of illicit drugs and alcohol in the country.

Dr Kaluai’s comments come in the wake of PPB’s enactment of guidelines that aim to regulate the activities of pharmaceutical sales representatives in the country.

The guidelines will ensure that pharmaceutical sales representatives are qualified to perform their tasks and act ethically in promoting medicines and other health products and technologies to healthcare professionals.