95 Arrested, 48 Premises Shut Down in PPB Crackdown on Illegal Drug Outlets Across Nairobi and Kajiado

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has delivered one of its most decisive blows yet against the illegal drug trade, bringing a week-long enforcement operation to a close on June 19, 2026. The targeted sweep covered unlicensed pharmaceutical businesses operating in Nairobi and Kajiado counties, where the proliferation of rogue outlets has long been a public health concern.

PPB officers fanned out across 155 premises in some of Nairobi's most densely populated informal settlements — Kibra, Eastleigh, Dandora, and Mathare. By the time the operation wrapped up, 95 individuals had been placed under arrest while 48 facilities received formal closure notices for falling foul of regulatory requirements. Officers also confiscated approximately 169 cartons of medicines, all of which are now held pending court-ordered disposal.

The arrested individuals were not simply warned and released. Cases were filed and presented before courts in Kajiado, Kibra, and Makadara, signalling the PPB's intent to pursue prosecutions rather than issue empty threats to those flouting pharmaceutical laws.

Julius Kaluai, Head of Good Distribution Practices and Enforcement at the PPB, was unequivocal about what drove the arrests. "95 of them did not comply, and therefore they were arrested," he stated, making plain that the board had no intention of accommodating operators who ignored licensing obligations. Kaluai also stressed that individuals running unregistered outlets typically lack the professional qualifications required to handle medicines safely, placing consumers at serious and often invisible risk.

A key concern heading into the operation was the ease with which closed premises can quietly reopen once enforcement teams move on. To counter this, the PPB coordinated directly with county governments and the national police, forwarding closure notices to the relevant authorities in each jurisdiction so that local structures could maintain oversight on the ground long after the sweep concluded.

In the wake of the crackdown, the PPB is calling on Kenyans to become more vigilant when purchasing medicines. Any legitimate pharmacy is legally required to display its licence prominently within the premises — consumers are encouraged to check for this before making any purchase and to buy only from establishments that are formally registered. Cutting corners on where you buy medication, the board warned, can have severe consequences for your health.

The PPB also reminded the public that it maintains active communication channels for reporting suspected illegal pharmaceutical activity or raising concerns about drug safety. As counterfeit and substandard medicines continue to circulate in communities across the country, the board made clear that enforcement operations of this scale will remain a regular fixture of its mandate going forward.