80 chemists shut down in Nairobi, 43 people arrested

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board shut down 80 chemists during a crackdown on illegal and substandard drugs stores in Nairobi.

According to Senior inspector of drugs Julius Kaluai, 43 people were also arrested during the raid on Thursday morning.

“This is a joint operation alongside the police and the office of the regional commissioner and we were implementing the mapping they had given us,” said Kaluai.

The 43 were arraigned in court and about 10 people who pleaded guilty were fined raging from Ksh.2oo,000 to Ksh.380,000.

Kaluai further urged the public to look out for health code banners in drug stores.

The banners he said, are issued by the board and certify that the shops are inspected and registered.

In case one is suspicious, they can also send a message to the code provided and will receive a confirmation on whether that is a registered outlet or not.

The board further indicated that this is a continuous operation that started in Central, Coast and Nairobi regions and will continue countrywide.

In Nairobi, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board said that only 1889 outlets have been captured in their system.

During the raid, the board checks mainly the compliance and operational licenses.