The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has dismissed social media reports claiming it plans to block over 21,000 medical products from entering Kenya.
In a statement on Sunday, October 5, 2025, the regulator termed the allegations false and misleading, saying they were intended to cause unwarranted public alarm.
“The Board has noted with concern a misleading press statement on social media alleging that the Board intends to 'block over 21,000 medical products' from being imported into Kenya, which supposedly places the country 'on the brink of a medicines crisis' due to a shortage of medicines,” read the statement.
“This claim is false, misleading, and intended to cause unwarranted public anxiety.”
PPB assured Kenyans that there is no blockade of medicines and that the availability and quality of medical products in the country remain stable.
It adds that it retained approximately 9,000 registered medical products that meet national and international standards for safety, efficacy, and quality.
According to the board, the products remain available for local manufacture, importation, and distribution.
“These products are not affected in any way, and therefore, there is no cause for concern regarding medicine shortages,” it said.
It maintained that a directive to all owners of registered medical products to renew their registrations by 31 December 2025 is not a ban or restriction on medicines, but a regulatory requirement to maintain public safety.
“The Board wishes to inform the public that its ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal importers and to remove unregistered, unauthorized, falsified, and substandard products from the market are meeting resistance from a few unscrupulous individuals and cartels seeking to protect their vested interests,” the statement said.
PPB also urged the public, healthcare professionals, and the media to disregard misleading reports circulating online.