This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
On Thursday, a joint operation between the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, police, and the office of the regional commissioner led to the arrest of 43 people in Nairobi.
During the crackdown, 62 chemists were shut down for operating illegally and selling substandard drugs.
Senior Inspector of Drugs Julius Kaluai explained that the operation was a joint effort to combat the sale of illicit and substandard drugs in the city.
Of the 43 arrested, 10 pleaded guilty and were fined between Sh 200,000 and Sh 380,000.
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has urged the public to look out for health code banners in drug stores, which are issued to certify that the stores have been inspected and registered.
However, the board revealed that only 1889 outlets in Nairobi have been captured in their system, indicating a significant number of unregistered stores still operating in the city.
The crackdown is part of a continuous operation that will be executed countrywide, with similar raids already conducted in Central and Coast regions.
