21 people were arrested on Saturday, March 16, at Kangundo town in Machakos County during a government crackdown.
Led by the Machakos County Health County Executive Committee Member (CECM)doctor Daniel Yumbia, county officials raided several businesses alleged to be operating illegally.
The officials confiscated counterfeit products, before shutting down several businesses in the area.
Yumbia noted that the businesses lacked licenses and legal permits required for operating the outlets.
The CECM further closed down the operations, which included eateries, butcheries, lavatories and chemists, noting that the operation was to ensure businesses operated the right way.
The operation followed reports of public medicine from the Machakos County hospitals being sold to private hospitals due to a shortage of medicine in major hospitals.
“We understand there has been sabotage, and disagreements in the Biomedical engineers department and we have taken action to ensure things are in order,” Yumbia noted.
“We have also discovered that most employees prescribe medicine and send people to buy them from the public pharmacies,” he added.
In efforts to fish out unlicensed businesses, two managers were arrested on February 27, after Nairobi county officials raided a company in an ongoing crackdown within the city.
The Nairobi City County Environmental Monitoring Compliance and Enforcement ambushed operations at a paint manufacturing company after non-compliance to safety regulations was made against it.
The company's managers were apprehended to answer the allegations. The factory is located along the Outer Ring road, off the Thika Superhighway.
Investigations were later launched into the company's operations. It is one of the top suppliers of paint and other surface materials in the country.
