Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has raised concern over an increase in the sale of fake drugs in chemists across Kenya.
Speaking during the opening of the 2023 Consumers International Global Congress in Nairobi on Wednesday, December 6, Gachagua noted that Kenyans were risking their lives by buying counterfeit medicines.
The deputy president added that two out of five drugs sold on shelves in Kenya were counterfeits.
According to Gachagua, data on fake drugs in Kenya had been provided by the United Nations in collaboration with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).
At the same time, the deputy president defended the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK), noting that the agency has put in place measures to crackdown on counterfeit products in the country.
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However, he added that the government agency should put in place more strict measures to safeguard consumers against harmful counterfeits.
Gachagua also emphasized the need for public awareness in helping consumers differentiate between genuine and counterfeit products in the country.
“This factor (counterfeit medicines) not only endangers the lives of consumers but also injures confidence in modern treatment,” he stated.
CAK is mandated to fight fake products out of the Kenyan market, while working closely with the Kenya Bureau of Standards, Anti-Counterfeit Authority, and Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
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Other State agencies that can help CAK to eliminate counterfeit products include the Department of Weights and Measures.
According to statistics, 30 percent of fake products are locally manufactured while 70 percent are smuggled into the country.
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At the same time, Gachagua explained that the government intends to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tracking, arresting and suppressing networks of cartels exploiting consumers with counterfeits.
