The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board is a body which regulates the manufacture and sale of drugs and poisons within the country.

The residence of the board is situated in Nairobi along Lenana Road, opposite Department of Defense (DOD) offices.

The body was established under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act of Chapter 244 of Kenyan Laws. The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board is mandated to make and implement regulations, in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary for Health, which are aimed at ensuring higher standards of safety in the manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs.

The board also ensures high quality and efficacy in both locally manufactured and imported drugs and medical equipment.

Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board envisions being the global centre of regulatory excellence. It aims at safeguarding the health of the public by ensuring that medicines and health products comply with acceptable standards of quality, safety and efficacy.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Portal

The Pharmacy and Poisons Online Portal are used to provide various users with a platform to register their products, apply for retention of products and for practitioners to register for the examination and access their exam results.

The portal is divided into Pharmacy Practice section and Trade and Drugs section.

The Trade and Drug Section provides the manufacturers with an avenue to register and apply for retention of their products.

On the other hand, the Pharmacy Practice section is used to register students, institutions and practitioners.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Registration

Registration of a manufacturer under the Kenya Pharmacy and poisons board is done after the manufacturer has submitted an application to the board.

The manufacturer can only be registered after complying with several standards set by the regulatory board.

The manufacturer must comply with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and payment of registration fees.

In case of a foreign manufacturer, it should be represented by one local agent with the blanket power of attorney, and who is empowered to be answerable before the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on behalf of its principle.

During registration, the manufacturers separately apply for the registration of a drug or medicinal product. The products which are eligible to be registered are those which are useful in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness.

In addition, those products which are used for surgical preparations and ascertaining the existence and extent of a medical condition are also eligible for registration.

On fulfilling all the requirements of the board the manufacturer is issued with a Certificate of Registration for every product. The certificate is valid for a period of five years.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Kenya Licenses

The Pharmacy and poisons board issues licenses to applicants after they have successfully met the requirements which have been set.

The applicants are required to fill in application forms which are available at the board’s headquarters.

After filling in the forms, they are to be submitted together with the relevant documents and application fees to the registrar of the board.

The applicants who are eligible for Annual Practice Licenses are registered pharmacists, wholesale dealers and pharmaceutical technologists who run pharmacies.

License Renewal

The licenses expire on the 31st day of December, irrespective of the date of application and issuance, pending re-application. Licenses are renewed by visiting the board online portal

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Exams, Exam Results, Exam Registration

The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board administers professional examinations as criteria for registering Pharmacists and enrolling Pharmaceutical Technologists.

Two types of exams are administered: Pre-Registration and Pre-Enrolment exams. Registration and Enrollment of successful candidates are done through a Training and Assessment Committee which was constituted on July 2000.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Bill

The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (Amendment) Bill was enacted by the Parliament of Kenya in 2014. Authority has been vested in the board to carry on its mandate as defined by Section 3 of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act. The Act has given the board the power to operate as a body corporate.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Online Users

The Kenya pharmacy and poisons board portal is used by the online users to register for exams, register drugs and medicinal products and registration of pharmaceutical premises.

The online users include the practitioners, the pharmacy students, drug and medicinal products manufacturers and medical institutions.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board Jobs

The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board advertises its vacant positions on the homepage of its website.

The applicants are required to access the website and click on the link “Careers-Position Vacant” and read through duties, roles and qualifications required for application of the available positions.

On meeting the requirements they will send their applications plus copies of required documents to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board through a postal address is given

Directions from Nairobi Central Business District to Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board Offices

The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board offices are located in Nairobi along Lenana Road, opposite the Department of Defense offices.

Both public and private means could be used to reach the destination.

Private Means:

It takes approximately 12 minutes without traffic to reach the destination using private means.

Leave Nairobi Central Business District.

Drive heading Southeast on Moi Avenue and turn right onto City Hall Way. Keep right onto Simba Street before joining Mama Ngina Street.

Keep left onto Mama Ngina Street before negotiating left onto Kenyatta Avenue. Drive to the roundabout on Uhuru Highway and take the second exit and stay on Kenyatta Avenue.

Drive for 0.6 miles before turning right onto State House Avenue.

Turn left to stay on State House Road and drive for 0.4 miles before turning left onto Woodlands Road.

Drive for 0.2 miles and turn left onto Lenana Road. Drive for another 0.1 miles.

Arrive at Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

Public Means:

It takes approximately 21 minutes to arrive at the destination using public means.

Board bus No.5 heading to Jamhuri at Kencom bus station.

Alight at Woodlands Road.

Walk for five minutes to Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

See List of Registered pharmacies /Chemists in Kenya