Here's approved lists of alcohol manufacturers, pharmacies, chemists and agrovets

Government of Kenya  list of alcohol manufacturers, pharmacies, chemists and agrovets March 2024.

What you need to know:

  • Government list shows that there are only 41 local alcoholic beverage manufacturers, 55 local manufacturers of alcoholic beverages, 5,245 registered pharmacies and chemists, 15 companies as manufacturers of veterinary drugs, and 96 distributors of veterinary drugs.
  • This development comes barely a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, issued a directive that all bars and clubs operating within residential and school areas be closed on grounds that their licenses were issued illegally.

The government released a list of registered alcohol manufacturers, pharmacies, chemists, and agrovets in the country yesterday.

According to the list shared by the Ministry of Interior, only 41 local alcoholic beverage manufacturers have an active excise license in the country.

The majority of these manufacturers are located in different parts of Nairobi including Mombasa Road, Kagundo Road, James Gichuru Road, the Industrial area, Eastern bypass and along Thika Road.

These listed manufacturers and distillers of alcoholic drinks will still have to attend a meeting to be held at the Ministry of Interior next Tuesday starting at 10 am for further directives on how to conduct their business.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board also published a list of 5,245 registered pharmacies and chemists allowed to operate in the country. This is a stark contrast to the overwhelming number of such entities that are ubiquitous in several commercial and residential buildings in middle-class neighborhoods.

As of yesterday, the government had permitted only 15 companies as manufacturers of veterinary drugs across the country. All of these manufacturers are based in Nairobi except one in Mlolongo (Machakos County) and another one in Thika (Kiambu County).

With regards to the retail of veterinary drugs, the government listed 96 companies as the only permitted distributors of this commodity across the country.

This development comes barely a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, issued a directive that all bars and clubs operating within residential and school areas be closed on grounds that their licenses were issued illegally.

While issuing the order, the Interior Ministry boss said that all existing valid licenses will be vetted afresh within 21 days with premises approved to resume operations only upon receipt of fresh approval.

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki during a visit at Nyayo House Immigration Department on September 1, 2023, following public outcry over delays in passport application process.

Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group

Also, all public officers who run bars were asked to stop with immediate effect on grounds that the law bars them from running such businesses, CS Kindiki explained.

This directive was extended to all officers in the enforcement chain including those working in the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Anti-Counterfeiting Authority, Public Health and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse.

Approved government lists as of March 2024