The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has closed down 110 chemists in the five counties in Central Kenya region for flouting regulations.
The board's officer in charge of distribution and imports control Dominic Kariuki said the enforcement operation began on Monday and ended Friday.
Twenty-two out of 71 people arrested were charged with various offences.
“Those who pleaded guilty were fined amounts ranging from Sh50,000 to Sh200,000 while those who pleaded not guilty were given bonds of up to Sh200,000,” Kariuki said.
Kariuki said the board, together with security officials, mapped out all medical facilities early in the year, hence a targeted operation.
He made the announcement while briefing the media at the Central Regional Coordinator’s boardroom in Nyeri on Friday.
The official expressed hope that imposing hefty fines and bonds will act as a deterrent to people engaged in the illegal trade.
The team, he said, also arrested a chemist at Kianyaga in Kirinyaga county where suspected government drugs were found. Two people were arrested and charged.
Kariuki said that the board has prepared a list of the closed chemists and handed it over to the regional police commander to enforce the order.
The board, he said, has also been having issues with licensed wholesalers supplying medicines to quacks.
During the operation, the board discovered invoices of drugs believed to have been supplied by licensed wholesalers adding that it was a breach of the terms of license of the premises.
“We have also got our own colleagues who have licensed chemists but leave them in the hands of unqualified people which boils down to quackery,” he said.
Such people have been summoned for disciplinary action using the board’s disciplinary measure, he said.
He informed the public that there are guidelines published in the last few months for good distribution practices, transportation of medicine and for disposal of pharmaceutical wastes.
The guidelines are available on the board’s website and guide the public on how to run the pharmacy business.
He said for the chemists that have been closed, there are notices to alert wananchi that they should not visit the chemists.
The notices are also meant to alert law enforcement officers so they can follow up to ensure the premises remain closed.
Central region police commander Patrick Lumumba said those dealing in illegal drugs were endangering lives of Kenyans.
“This is a good gesture to enlighten the public so that they can know about the dangers of illegal drugs and action to take whenever they hear or see any dealings with illegal drugs,” he said.
