Garissa, 18 June, 2021- At least 23 people have been arrested and arraigned in court and charged with various offenses for illegally operating pharmaceutical outlets in a crackdown targeting North-eastern counties of Garissa, Tana River, Lamu and parts of Kitui among others.

The crackdown which was conducted by Pharmacy and Poisons Board inspectors in conjunction with the National Police Service began on June 14, 2021 and targeted illegal chemists that were arrived at from surveillance and mapping exercise carried out by PPB officers.

The PPB Deputy Director of Inspectorate, Dr. Dominic Kariuki said the operation has seen closure of 52 illegal chemists as well as seizure of 55 cartons of assorted medicines.

“The seized medicines have been handed over to Pharmacy and Poisons Board for necessary tests to be carried out and for safe disposal,” said Dr. Kariuki.

He disclosed that the accused persons who pleaded guilty were fined of up to Ksh320,000 and those who pleaded not guilty have been given cash bail of up to Ksh.300,000.

He thanked the Police Service and Judiciary for enhancing fines charged on those found guilty of malpractices saying, the enhanced fines will act as a deterrent for those who engage in illegal activities which are a danger to public health.

Details of all the non-compliant outlets have been shared with the Regional Commissioner for enforcement of closure, he added.

Dr. Kariuki urged those who wish to engage in the business of pharmacy to first inform the Board before they start putting up the premises so that they can be advised on the suitability of the location.

All pharmacy outlets and hospitals with expired drugs are notified to safely quarantine them and get in touch with the PPB regional inspectors for safe disposal. The guidelines on safe disposal of pharmaceutical waste are available to the public on www.pharmacyboardkenya.org

PPB continues to advise members of the public to use health safety codes displayed in registered pharmacy outlets to verify legality of the premises. Send SMS free of charge to 21031