The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has arrested 95 fake pharmacists and shut down 48 premises, which were in operation without valid licenses.
In a week-long surveillance exercise that concluded on 19th June, 2026, officers from the Board inspected 155 premises in the informal settlements within Nairobi region and the neighbouring county of Kajiado.
Areas surveilled include Kibra, Korogosho, Eastleigh, Dandora, Mathare, Embakasi, Nairobi West and Rongai among others.
Speaking early today at the PPB’s Headquarters in Nairobi after the conclusion of the inspection exercise, the Head of Good Distribution Practices and Enforcement at PPB Julius Kaluai said those arrested will be prosecuted as per the law.
“Within those 155 premises, we indicated that 95 of them did not comply, and therefore they were arrested. We basically made 95 arrests and those people, because you know basically Nairobi region also includes Kajiado, have been produced in Kajiado law courts, Kibra and Makadara, so we are waiting for the outcome of the court cases that were produced”, Kaluai stated.
To ensure that the premises closed do not resurface and get back into business, Kaluai emphasized that PPB has partnered with County governments and security agencies to guarantee compliance.
“The 48 premises that were also found non-compliance were issued with the closure notices, and they have now been marked, and the letters written to respective county commanders. The letters are similarly copied to affected county governments, as well as the national police service at the vigilance house, to ensure that the premises are permanently closed”, he explained.
Kaluai noted that during the exercise, approximately 169 cartons of medicines found in the illegal outlets was confiscated.
“They have now been kept under our custody, awaiting the orders from courts for them to be disposed according to our disposal guideline”, he explained.
Kaluai urged pharmacists to comply with the law, warning those found culpable will lose their licenses.
He cautioned the public to purchase medicine only from registered and licensed chemists, reiterating that when a premise is not registered, it is being operated by an unlicensed person who is not qualified.
“We have our regional numbers within Nairobi and also other regional offices, but the basic part is also you need to check the licenses, because the license is not a document that is of secret. The law is clear that your license must be put clearly in a place that anybody that you are serving is able to see it and of course read and know who is the person who is attending to the client”, Kaluai added.
He said PPB is continuously creating awareness to the public on safety guidelines and has established communication platforms where people can freely interact and share their concerns with the regulatory Board.
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