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Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Clive Nsiima has been remanded to prison on charges of assault and malicious damage to property after he was captured on CCTV slapping a female attendant at a petrol station shop in Kyanja, a Kampala City suburb.

ASP Nsiima was seen in a viral video slapping a female shop attendant after she demanded that he pay for the items he and a female friend had picked up on October 7.

The viral video prompted the police to arrest and detain him last week.

After spending four days in the police cells, the officer was arraigned before Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Nicholas Aisu at City Hall Court on Monday, October 13. He was remanded to Luzira Prison until October 16 for a court ruling on his bail application.

ASP Nsiima’s lawyer, Hamaza Kyamanywa told the court that the complainant, Pellan Atuhumuriize and the accused officer have since reconciled, and that she had filed an additional statement.

“In the circumstances, I seek to apply for bail for the accused. We have three sureties in court. In the circumstances, we pray that every suspect is still presumed innocent and pray that the accused is granted bail if there’s no objection from the state pending hearing of the case,” Mr Kyamanywa said.

However, senior prosecutor Ms Mercy Yamangusho said she had not gotten the opportunity to look at the sureties. “Counsel has not told the court what the sureties do, and I have seen some two who are younger than the accused, and I think they will not force him to come back for trial. The offence the accused is charged with is violence against a woman, a girl, for that matter. The accused person is a police officer whose role is to keep law and order, and the fact that he has been charged with this offence leaves a lot to be desired,” she said.

According to her, the fact that the victim is a woman is an insult that a police officer, instead of protecting her, chose to assault her.

“This offence has gone viral, it is a public interest offence, and it affects how the public will think about the court. This is impunity of the highest order, where the court has to send a message to the public. The public out there is very bitter. It is for the good of the accused for his bail to be denied. Inquiries are still ongoing, and for those reasons, I reject his bail application to enable us to conclude with investigations and the law to take on,” the state attorney argued.

In his response, the defence lawyer said they had availed documents, including national IDs, indicating the sureties are 37, three years older than the suspect.

“One of the sureties is an ISO officer. I also draw the attention of the court to section 160 of MCA for the parties to reconcile. Courts implore us to reconcile what the accused has already done, and we have told the court. As regards the public bitterness, we pray that the court does not take the state’s submission from the bar, which is not supported. It is the same public that encourages reconciliation. I will end with the presumption of innocence. At this point, the court should not form its own opinions until the evidence is heard. Sureties have not been rejected, and the court should be pleased to take him as one who has fulfilled the conditions for bail,” he said.

The magistrate adjourned the proceedings to October 16 for the court’s ruling on bail.

Ms Atuhumurize told this publication last week that ASP Nsiima and a woman ordered a pack of condoms and two cans of beer, but they attempted to drive off without paying the bills, prompting her to prevent them from leaving, which angered them, leading to the attack captured on the shop’s CCTV camera.

‘A lady alighted from the car and walked to the counter. She asked me to pack her condoms, which I did. She told me that the money was in the car, so I should follow her and pick it,’ Ms Atuhumurize said.

‘When we reached the car, a gentleman inside the car told me to bring him two cans of Tusker Lite. I went back and brought them.’ Ms Atuhumurize said after handing over the items, the man attempted to drive off.

‘I grabbed his collar to prevent him from driving off without paying the bill. Then he stopped the car and got out. He followed me to the shop. He then started abusing me and other people who were in the shop. The man then slapped me twice,’ Ms Atuhumurize said.

A private security guard attached to Tayari Security attempted to stop the attack but the police officer continued with his aggression.

The former Police Chief Political Commissar, Mr Asan Kasingye, said on his social media platform that the guard works for Tayari Security, a private security firm he heads.

‘I was the first person to be informed. The security guard you see in the video belongs to @TayarisSecurity. There is even more to this story. I am happy it will be investigated thoroughly. Let the police involve us at the company. For example, a pistol was drawn,’ said Mr Kasingye, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police.

Vivo Energy Uganda, which owns the petrol station, condemned the attack.

‘We strongly condemn any form of violence or misconduct towards our staff or customers. We are in close contact with the attendant to ensure she receives the support she needs, and we are working with the Uganda Police to ensure the perpetrator is held accountable for his actions,’ a statement by Vivo Energy Uganda reads in part.

Other incidents in the country

Last year, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Julius Ahimbisibwe was suspected of shooting his ex-wife and injured her. Months later, SSP Ahimbisibwe was found dead in his home on suspicion that he had taken his life.

In February 2024, the Officer-in-charge of Alebtong District, ASP Moses Acaye, is alleged to have shot dead a civilian he accused of killing his relative in a mob action incident in Adjumani District.

ASP Acaye is still on the run. Another incident happened in December 2024, when a police officer, Constable Charles Bahati, shot dead a truck driver Julius Ssemwaka at Nakasero in Kampala City. Constable Bahati is still on the run.

The replacement of Beti Kamya as Inspector General of Government (IGG) with Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala has generated wide debate, not least because Kamya’s tenure was anything but quiet. For four years, she gave the IG institution unusual visibility in public life, confronting corruption in ways that unsettled even those at the very top.

Kamya’s most memorable initiative was the push for a lifestyle audit, a proposal that public officials should account for their wealth against their income. It was a bold idea that went to the heart of Uganda’s corruption problem. Yet it was publicly dismissed by President Museveni, who warned that lifestyle audits could be ‘politically disruptive.’ In another moment, when Kamya proposed extending IG investigations into the military, she was bluntly told to keep her hands off the army.

These interventions may not have produced prosecutions, but they succeeded in one vital respect: they forced corruption into the national conversation, and proved that the IG office could not be ignored. Just as importantly, Kamya used her platform as IGG to challenge Ugandans to rethink their own complicity in corruption. She warned against the culture of idolising public officers who suddenly acquire wealth, treating them as symbols of ‘success,’ while dismissing honest officials who live within their means as ‘dull’ or ‘lacking drive.’

By exposing this social glorification of quick riches, she shifted the debate from government failings alone to society’s responsibility in normalising graft. It was a brave confrontation with a cultural mindset that fuels corruption as much as weak enforcement does.

In that sense, Kamya raised the IG office’s profile higher than many of her predecessors. She brought a politician’s instinct for publicity into an institution often seen as sleepy and technical. Under her, the IG was suddenly on the front pages, its voice shaping debates in Parliament and on the streets. To many Ugandans, she embodied the frustration they feel about entrenched corruption, and her sharp warnings resonated widely. Yet visibility is not the same as victory.

Despite her energy as IGG, few ‘big fish’ were convicted. Critics argued she politicised the office. Supporters countered that she was hemmed in by a system that shields the powerful and leaves the IGG fighting with one hand tied behind her back. Both perspectives contain truth. Now enters Justice Batal. Where Kamya was a politician, Batala is a career prosecutor and judge.

For nearly two decades, she worked at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, earning a reputation for diligence, integrity, and a high conviction rate. More recently, at the High Court’s Land Division, she dealt with some of Uganda’s most corruption-ridden disputes. Her appointment signals a deliberate pivot: from political visibility to legal precision. But Batala will not be starting from scratch. She inherits an IG institution that, thanks to Kamya, is once again in the public eye.

The challenge is to build on that renewed profile by producing results in courtrooms, not just headlines. Ugandans are weary of anti-corruption theatre. They want convictions, asset recoveries, and proof that no one is above the law. The hurdles remain formidable. The IG still struggles with a backlog of cases. Political shielding of senior figures has undone many brave investigations.

Whistleblowers lack protection. The very independence of the office is tested by the fact that its leadership is presidentially appointed. Batala may have the temperament and the tools, but her ability to bite will depend on how much leash she is truly given. The story, therefore, is not of Kamya’s failure but of the two stages of a struggle. Kamya dragged corruption into the light and confronted society’s dangerous admiration for illicit wealth.

Batala must now carry the baton, converting that visibility into a prosecutorial bite. If she succeeds, Ugandans may finally believe that the IG is not only a watchdog but a guard dog capable of defending the public interest. The baton has been passed from one sister to another. The question is whether the institution, not the personalities, will be allowed to run.

As the world recently commemorated International Safe Abortion Day under the theme ‘Safe abortion is life-saving healthcare,’ the conversation inevitably turned to a related but often overlooked issue: the quality of post-abortion care (PAC). PAC is one of the most critical yet under-discussed health services in Uganda.

Every year, women face life-threatening complications from unsafe abortions, which the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) estimates contribute to 8-11 percent of maternal deaths. Yet the quality and availability of PAC remain inconsistent across health facilities. While Ugandan law permits PAC and recognises it as an essential health service, the reality is that many health centres lack the basic infrastructure, supplies, and skilled personnel needed to provide lifesaving care. At the heart of this issue is access.

For many women, the nearest facility for emergency obstetric care is a Health Centre (HC) III, the first line of care for most rural communities. These facilities are meant to provide basic emergency obstetric services, yet many are unequipped to handle complicated PAC cases. In my engagements with healthcare providers, I have come to learn that a woman who presents with heavy bleeding or sepsis may find that the HC has a dilapidated procedure bed, no electricity, or no trained provider.

Even when women reach hospitals, quality is not guaranteed. Essential supplies such as lignocaine (for pain management), vaginal specula, and manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) kits are not always available. While the Ministry of Health made progress in 2023 by adding the misoprostol/mifepristone combipack to the Essential Medicines and Supplies List, its use is restricted to HCIVs and above.

This restriction means that HCIIIs and IIs, the most accessible facilities for many rural women and girls, cannot provide this highly effective treatment for incomplete abortions. The problem is not just supplies, but also people. PAC requires skilled health workers who can provide care with both technical competence and compassion. Yet training gaps remain wide.

In several learning engagements, health workers have openly shared their hesitation to provide PAC due to stigma, fear of legal repercussions, or personal values. Others expressed the need for refresher training to manage complex complications. For women, these gaps translate into delays, judgmental attitudes, or outright denial of care, even when PAC is fully permitted by Ugandan law. Beyond the health system, different actors also shape the quality of PAC in Uganda.

Policy gaps remain a major challenge, for instance, police officers often do not understand what PAC entails and sometimes arrest health workers under the mistaken belief that they are performing illegal abortions, even though PAC is permitted by law. At the community level, harmful social norms and stigma discourage women from seeking timely care, while lack of family or peer support can leave them isolated at critical moments.

At individual level, limited knowledge and decision-making power among women and girls further restrict their ability to recognise emergency symptoms and demand quality PAC services. The human cost of these systemic weaknesses is sobering. Women continue to die not because PAC is unavailable in theory, but because in practice the service they receive is of poor quality.

A young woman who walks into a facility with heavy bleeding should not have to wait hours for a referral, endure a painful procedure without anaesthesia, or be turned away because supplies ran out. Yet these are realities many Ugandan women face, as shared repeatedly in learning meetings with health providers across districts. Improving quality of PAC requires investment on multiple fronts. First, infrastructure: facilities must be equipped with functional procedure beds, sterilisation equipment, and reliable power and water supply.

Second, every HC that provides PAC must be routinely stocked with lignocaine, MVA kits, specula, and the combipack, not just on paper, but in reality. Third, health workers need regular training and mentorship not only to provide PAC safely, but also to deliver it with dignity and respect. Uganda has made progress before, and it can do so again. But for women in villages far from district hospitals, progress will only matter if these medicines and supplies are available where they seek care. Every woman deserves the assurance that if complications arise, the health system will protect her, not fail her.

A total of 18 Senior Four candidates at Cream Field Vocational Senior Secondary School in Nakifuma, Mukono District, are stranded after learning that they were not registered for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations starting today, Monday, October 13.

When this reporter visited the school on Sunday afternoon, no staff member was present. The school administrators had reportedly gone into hiding, with their phones switched off.

The problem stems from the school’s failure to register the candidates with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), a requirement for sitting the national exams. Some of the affected candidates who spoke to the Monitor on Sunday said they discovered that they were not registered with UNEB on Friday, the day they were supposed to be briefed about the exams.

“We arrived at the school and no member of staff was available to brief us. When we contacted the head teacher, we received a shocking revelation that left us stunned,” Ryan Kizito, one of the affected candidates, said.

Despite paying all school dues, including examination fees, and diligently attending lessons and completing courseworks, the candidates are now facing an impossible situation due to the school’s negligence.

Kizito said the school administrators had earlier informed them that they were to sit their papers from a neighboring public school due to lack of a sitting centre number.

“What we have learned now is that only three of our colleagues are fully registered with UNEB and are the ones supposed to sit for the national exams,” he said.

Milly Nakyanzi, another affected candidate, shared her plight, saying they have struggled with academics, revealing that they have been revising notes on their own due to a lack of teachers.

“This, in the new curriculum, means we have to go back to Senior One if we miss sitting national exams,” she said, adding, “We have been lacking teachers and had to look for notes ourselves from other schools in addition to the feeding, which the school abandoned since the beginning of term.”

Parents, who cleared all school dues, stormed the school on Sunday to demand answers from the teachers, but all were absent.

Ms. Nassuuna Mazzi, a parent, expressed her frustration, saying she had paid all the school dues, including the registration fees, and wondered why her son wasn’t registered to sit the exams.

“I started smelling a rat the day we were called for dedication prayers, only to be told that it had been postponed, and to date, it was never conducted,” she said.

The consequences of the school’s failure to register the candidates are severe. If they completely fail to sit for the exams, they’ll have to repeat a whole year or potentially restart from Senior One, a significant setback for any student.

The affected candidates are understandably anxious, feeling their future is being put on hold due to circumstances beyond their control.

As the examination period kicks off, the affected candidates couldn’t help but wonder what the future holds for them.

In Uganda’s education system, the UCE exams are a critical milestone, determining a student’s academic future and career path.

On Monday, UCE candidates will write Geography Paper I in the morning and Biology Paper I (Theory) in the afternoon.

According to UNEB statistics, a total of 432,159 candidates are expected to sit for this year’s UCE exams at 4,308 centers across the country.

A new controversy has erupted over the government’s decision to allocate part of Kitubulu Central Forest Reserve in Entebbe to a Chinese investor for building government offices and a shopping mall.

This move has sparked outrage among environmentalists, policy experts, and local leaders.

The $500m (about Shs1.7063t) project, spearheaded by Mr Paul Zhang, the head of Tian Tang Group, is part of a broader plan championed by State Minister for Investment and Privatisation, Ms Evelyn Anite, who said it is aimed at creating an ‘alternative capital city’ in Entebbe.

Ms Anite confirmed that the government had allocated about 150 acres of Kitubulu forest land to Tian Tang Group for what she described as a ‘government campus’, a complex meant to host ministries, departments, and agencies currently renting space in Kampala.

‘The government has allocated land in Entebbe to Chinese investors for the construction of modern facilities, including a five-star hotel, hospital, conference centre, and housing estates,’ Ms Anite said.

‘Unless you are in a government-constructed facility, your office will have to move to Entebbe. The aim is to decongest Kampala,’ she added.

Mr Zhang said construction is expected to commence next month, describing Entebbe’s proximity to the international airport as a ‘strategic advantage’ for investors.

‘Some time ago, I approached the minister with a proposal to build an international conference centre along with other amenities such as hospitals, international schools, and modern housing in Entebbe,’ Mr Zhang said.

‘We believe this will transform Entebbe into a modern administrative hub. He added that his company was facilitated through the minister’s office and was later introduced to President Museveni, who approved the allocation. In July, more than five developers expressed interest in acquiring parts of the forest. The National Forestry Authority (NFA) reportedly issued licences to various private developers to establish eco-lodges within the forest.

During a meeting convened by Entebbe Municipality Mayor Fabrice Rululinda, and attended by the Katabi Town Council Mayor, NFA, and the developers, the forestry body acknowledged that it had allocated sections of the forest reserve to various developers.

Local leaders protest

The decision has angered Entebbe authorities and environmental activists who accuse the government of sacrificing a vital ecological asset for short-term commercial gain. Kitubulu is a protected central forest reserve, gazetted under the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, and managed by the NFA.

It is one of the few remaining natural habitats on the shores of Lake Victoria, providing a crucial buffer zone that helps maintain water quality and biodiversity. Mr Rululinda condemned the move, saying Entebbe leaders were not on consulted about the allocations.

‘We are not allowing this forest giveaway, that’s clear. It is disrespectful that no one from NFA has ever come to discuss with us or even inform us of any plans regarding this forest,’ he said.

‘We are appealing for the cancellation of all land titles and letters issued in connection with this forest because we are determined to put up a spirited fight to ensure nothing of this sort happens in Entebbe,’ he said.

He added that Kitubulu was not a naturally grown forest but one planted by the people of Entebbe decades ago.

‘This forest was planted by our people, and we had hoped it would be preserved for posterity. Whoever claims to have bought land in that forest has been duped because we will not allow any developer to take over,’ he said.

Mr Rululinda added that his office had written several letters to NFA seeking clarification, but had received no response. ‘All the letters we have seen authorising activities in that forest are coming from NFA. We appeal to them to cancel all permissions because this forest is not for destruction,’ he added.

NFA defends allocation

When contacted, Mr Emmanuel Mangiraguha, the executive director of NFA, defended the authority’s decision, saying the plan for Kitubulu allows for ‘wise use’ through eco-tourism.

‘The forest management plan talks about conservation through wise use. The best way to save Kitubulu is through sustainable utilisation, and eco-tourism is one of those approaches,’ Mr Mangiraguha explained.

He added that developers were given strict conditions before being allowed to operate within the forest.

‘Every developer is required to carry out environmental and social impact assessments, and all this was done,’ he said. Environmentalists, however, insist that the government must suspend all ongoing allocations and conduct a comprehensive environmental audit.

They argue that converting a protected forest reserve into commercial property sets a dangerous precedent. They warn that clearing Kitubulu could worsen flooding in Entebbe, accelerate wetland degradation, and undermine Uganda’s commitments under international environmental conventions.

As the debate rages on, Kitubulu, once a quiet, lush green forest hugging the shores of Lake Victoria, has become the latest battleground in Uganda’s escalating struggle between conservation and commercial development.

Efforts to reach out to State Minister for Water and Environment, Ms Beatrice Anywar for a comment on the ongoing developments in Kitubulu forest were futile as she never picked up our repeated phone calls to her by press time yesterday.

Counterfeit and substandard medicines pose significant risks to our health because they may contain incorrect ingredients, have incorrect dosages, or may lack active ingredients entirely. The presence of fake drugs continues to be a major challenge in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in rural areas, as reported by Ismail Bategeka.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), substandard products are those that do not meet quality standards and specifications, often due to poor manufacturing practices or inadequate quality control.

Falsified medical products deliberately misrepresent their identity, composition, or source. These products are often created and distributed with the intention of deceiving consumers for financial gain.

Substandard and falsified medical products pose significant threats to public health globally. They can be ineffective at treating the illness, as they may contain incorrect ingredients or incorrect dosages. They can even be directly harmful to patients if they contain contaminants or toxic substances. They may be indirectly harmful through increased risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Masindi Town, once known for its quiet streets and thriving markets, is currently facing a deadly invasion from medicine bottles and blister packs lined neatly on some shelves in drug shops. From behind the brightly painted doors of the pharmacies, fake, expired, and substandard medicines, smuggled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through porous points in neighbouring Buliisa District, are slipping into clinics and roadside stalls.

In a small rented room in Kijura cell, 29-year-old Jane Afisa clutches a faded photo of her three-year-old son, Brian. Tears well in her eyes as she remembers the day she lost him to malaria.

‘He developed a fever and was vomiting. I rushed to a nearby pharmacy and bought anti-malarial drugs. I gave him the full dose. However, his condition worsened progressively. By the time I took him to Masindi (General) Hospital, it was too late,’ she laments.

A postmortem, performed by the hospital, later revealed that the drugs Afisa had given her son were counterfeit and expired. ‘I thought I was saving my child. I did not know that I was killing him, instead,’ she says.

The drugs were probably brought in through Waaki Landing Site on Lake Albert, smuggled in as part of an underground supply chain from the DRC.

According to the 2024 Annual Crime Report, the Directorate of INTERPOL intercepted traffickers on seven occasions, in which eight suspects were arrested and charged in court.

Four of the suspects were sentenced to fines between Shs10m and Shs20m, one case was dismissed, and one case is still pending in court. On May 6, 2025, five districts bordering the DRC signed an agreement aimed at curbing cross-border crimes.

At the time, Gen Taban Amin, the deputy director general for Special Operations in the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), said the deal would stop cross-border theft of vehicles and livestock, and smuggling, among other crimes.

According to Titus Musiime, Buliisa District’s health officer, records at Buliisa General Hospital indicate that in the last two years, there has been a 20 percent rise in drug-resistant infections.

‘We have many patients who come back after completing the treatment cycle, complaining that the drugs did not work. When we perform laboratory tests, we discover drug resistance. We think this is linked to substandard and fake medication, especially common with antibiotics,’ he says.

According to the National Drug Authority (NDA) Annual Report 2024­-2025, there has been a 21 percent increase in adverse drug reactions (ADR) compared to those received in 2023-2024, mostly from antibiotics, painkillers, and even life-saving anti-malarial tablets. In Bwijanga Sub-county, Moses Kabagambe, a 45-year-old farmer, still walks with difficulty after suffering complications from fake antibiotics. After he developed an infection in a wound on his leg, he went to a local drug store.

‘The attendant gave me capsules, which he said would clear the infection. After a few days, my leg began swelling. I was running a high fever. I could not walk. I almost lost my leg,’ he recalls. The doctors informed Kabagambe that the capsules had no active ingredient at all, only starch and colouring.

Smuggled drugs At Runga Landing Site in Buliisa District, small boats cross from the DRC, ferrying fish, fruits, and other items to Wanseko Market. This trade forms the livelihood of several families in the area.

Some locals, though, claim that besides the goods, the boats also ferry drugs, because they are not always inspected at the official customs point.

‘Some traders hide medication inside boxes of deodorants, fuel containers, and other goods. They pass through ungazetted points at night. From Buliisa, they load their merchandise onto trucks or boda bodas to Masindi, Hoima, and beyond,’ says Nicholas Aliganyira, the chairperson of the district health committee.

Along the way, the drugs are repackaged to look like genuine brands, complete with fake seals and expiry dates. In Masindi District, apart from drug shops, fake medicines also circulate openly in informal markets.

On market days, tablets and syrups are spread out on tables alongside vegetables, soap, and sugar.

These tablets include antibiotics, painkillers, and anti-malarial. Some medicine packages have faded labels and missing leaflets, while others are repackaged into small plastic bags.

The common denominator is that the drugs are cheap. Several pharmacists admit that they are struggling to detect these counterfeits.

‘The profit margins in this business are small, and the demand is high. If someone gives you a box of amoxicillin at a cheaper price than the market price, it is tempting.

However, we later discover that some of the drugs do not work,’ says an owner of a drug shop on Station Road in Buliima town council, who asks not to be identified.

These small, mostly unregulated outlets are the last stop in the long journey of the fake drugs. From here, tablets and syrups of unknown quality find their way into people’s hands without checks.

Health workers say that this is where the real danger lies. Dr Alex Felix Ruhuhura, the acting Masindi district health officer, explains that counterfeit medicines can turn a simple illness into a severe health condition.

‘When counterfeit medicines are used for diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, or HIV, they cause treatment failure, drug resistance, and sometimes death. They also waste resources because patients pay for drugs that do not work and then pay again for proper treatment,’ he says.

For Dr Ruhuhura, the solution starts with creating awareness. People need to know that cheap drugs sold in unlicensed shops are risky.

‘Sometimes wholesalers set very low prices for the drugs they are selling. We do not have the equipment to test the medication before we buy it. Communities, local leaders, and regulators must work together to stop this hidden trade before it claims more lives,’ he notes. Without laboratory equipment, many pharmacies rely on visual checks, which counterfeiters are masters at dodging.

Government reaction

However, the National Drug Authority (NDA) insists that there are no fake drugs in the country. Instead, Abiaz Rwamwiri, NDA’s public relations manager, cautions residents living on the shores of Lake Albert against using drugs from unlicensed traders. ‘We do not have fake drugs. The challenge is that some patients misuse drugs by failing to follow the prescribed dosage, and when treatment fails, they wrongly assume the drugs are fake. Residents and refugees should seek medical care from government health facilities, which are well-stocked with drugs approved by NDA,’ he says.

Besides smuggled drugs coming from across the border, drug shops are also selling expired drugs that have the government seal. Dr Warren Namara, the director of the State House Health Monitoring Unit, says sometimes, the expired drugs are often stolen instead of being destroyed.

‘The drugs are then repackaged and sold, posing a danger to patients. In the 2024/25 Financial Year, equipment and medicines worth about half a billion shillings have been recovered, with several cases currently in court. We have embossed our medicines with clear distinguishing marks, to the extent possible,’ he says.

According to the Parliament Watch, in July 2021, the Cabinet withdrew the Anti-counterfeiting Goods Bill, 2015 from Parliament, stating that there were other laws that can address the gap.

The Bill had been introduced to combat the importation and sale of counterfeit products on the domestic market.

Health officials are urging the government to increase inspections, strengthen border security, and provide drug-testing kits to district hospitals and major pharmacies.

Scope of the problem

Substandard and falsified medical products are a significant global health problem, impacting millions of people and compromising health systems worldwide. These products can be found in all countries, impacting all types of medical products, including life-saving treatments such as vaccines, antibiotics, and cancer therapies.

In 2017, the World Health Organisation estimated that one in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries failed quality control tests. The economic burden is also substantial, with billions of dollars lost annually due to ineffective treatments, increased healthcare costs, and loss of productivity.

The issue of substandard and falsified medical products is pervasive and challenging to address due to sophisticated falsification techniques that are difficult to detect and insufficient national resources to respond effectively.

This problem significantly undermines health systems, erodes trust in healthcare, and results in financial losses for both patients and legitimate industries.

The rise in online sales through unauthorised sites has further exacerbated the issue, allowing falsified products to reach consumers more easily. Tackling this problem necessitates robust legal frameworks, regional and international cooperation, heightened public awareness, and stronger enforcement measures.