Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-02-11 13:28:21
Detectives in Kitui have uncovered a syndicate involved in smuggling banned and counterfeit medicines from Somalia into Kenya. This discovery was made by a multi-agency team of security officers at a roadblock near Mwingi town on the Thika-Garissa highway. The team seized a truck carrying a consignment of various medicines packed in used cartons.
According to Eng Samuel Bett, who heads the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kitui County, the suspected smuggler initially claimed that the consignment was milk powder. However, upon further inspection, it was found to be suspicious pharmaceutical drugs. The driver of the truck, who is currently in police custody, stated that he was returning from delivering sweets to Garissa town and was supposed to take the consignment to Nairobi. He claimed to be unaware of the contents of the cartons he was carrying, and believed that he was delivering Patco products to a wholesale shop owner in Garissa.
Eng Bett reported that the driver had been delivering similar goods to the same consignee in Nairobi and the shop in Garissa for the past four years, thinking they were milk powder. However, upon thorough inspection, it was discovered that the drugs did not have the necessary logistical documentation and were not registered for clinical use in the country, lacking stamps from relevant government agencies. The truck, belonging to Patco Industries, a Nairobi-based confectionary company, was impounded as investigations were launched to trace the source and destination of the banned drugs.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs, whose market value is yet to be determined, were smuggled from Somalia to avoid paying import duty to the Kenya Revenue Authority and then distributed illegally in Kenya. Specialists from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and the Kitui County government inspected the drugs and found that some of them were counterfeit with unknown efficacy, while others had been banned for clinical use in Kenya over 20 years ago.
Dr Mercy Kivali, the Sub County Pharmacist in charge of Mwingi West, stated that none of the batch numbers of the seized drugs resembled or matched any health products under the custody of the county government. She emphasized the importance of strict regulations on the transportation of pharmaceutical products to ensure their quality and safety for the end user.
Dr Onesmus Kilonzo of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board explained that the seized drugs would have to undergo further laboratory tests at the Government Chemist to determine their chemical composition, as they were banned a long time ago due to their lack of medical efficacy. This makes them dangerous to public health, but they are being sold cheaply by rogue chemists to unsuspecting Kenyans.
Various government agencies, including the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards, and the Kenya Revenue Authority, are involved in the investigation of this illegal trade. The authorities are working together to crack down on the smuggling and distribution of banned and counterfeit medicines in order to protect the public from potential health hazards.
Read the original article on Daily Nation
