US Agency Cracks Down on Stolen Medicines in Kenya, 2 Arrested

Kenyan authorities have arrested two people and closed several pharmacies after a crackdown uncovered stolen, expired and unregistered medicines at 18 premises across the country.

The operation was conducted on 14 September by the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG), in cooperation with Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

The investigation followed weeks of surveillance into the diversion of US-funded medical supplies from official distribution channels for sale through commercial outlets. The agencies were investigating weaknesses in the pharmaceutical supply chain that allow medicines intended for health programmes to enter the private market.

USAID OIG said the operation resulted in two arrests, while 11 people were ordered to report for further questioning or court proceedings. At least four pharmacies were also sealed over suspected breaches of regulatory requirements.

The US Embassy in Nairobi supported the operation through its Regional Security Office, which officials said provided instrumental assistance. Investigators found evidence of several regulatory violations involving medicines and other medical supplies.

Among the items seized were more than 2,000 co-trimoxazole antibiotic tablets traced to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA). The medicines had been intended for specific health programmes but were found on pharmacy shelves.

Authorities also confiscated expired, defective and unregistered medicines, together with diagnostic test strips suspected to have been diverted from international health programmes. Investigators found indications that some of the products were being smuggled across Kenya’s borders, raising concerns about wider regional trafficking.

The operation comes months after another nationwide crackdown on counterfeit medicines. In July, the Ministry of Health warned that counterfeit drugs were circulating in the market and launched an enforcement campaign that resulted in the closure of more than 200 non-compliant outlets and the arrest of dozens of people accused of posing as pharmacists.

The PPB said at the time that counterfeit HIV medicines, dialysis treatments and erectile dysfunction drugs were among the products found on the market. It also warned that counterfeit medicines could account for as many as one in three drugs circulating in the region.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale subsequently banned motorcycle delivery of antibiotics, citing concerns over unregulated online vendors and the risks associated with the distribution of medicines outside authorised channels.