Mosop MP Abraham Kirwa Raises Alarm Over Medicine Quality in Kenya After Near-Death Experience
Despite treatment at a top facility, his condition worsened, with his heart’s ejection fraction a critical measure of heart function dropping from 25% to a life-threatening 15%
By : Mweru Mbugua
Mosop MP Abraham Kirwa has cast serious doubts on the safety and effectiveness of medicines in Kenya, claiming that substandard drugs nearly cost him his life following a severe heart episode in 2024
Kirwa suffered an ischemic stroke and severe congestive heart failure in August 2024 and was rushed to a Nairobi hospital
Despite treatment at a top facility, his condition worsened, with his heart’s ejection fraction a critical measure of heart function dropping from 25% to a life-threatening 15%
At this point, Kirwa’s wife made the decision to fly him abroad for specialised care. First flown to Dubai and later to the United States, he continued on the same medications but from different suppliers
The results were dramatically different, as his health steadily improved
“I asked the doctor why my body reacted to their medicine and not to the ones I was taking in Kenya. He told me, ‘what we are giving you is the real medicine. Whatever you were taking, we don’t know what it was,’” Kirwa recounted
Upon his return, Kirwa took to the National Assembly floor to highlight the issue, questioning how many other Kenyans may have faced similar risks due to potential lapses in the country’s medication supply chain
“We are losing our parents, our brothers, our sisters, because that is all they have,” he stated
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In response, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) urged Kirwa to file a formal complaint to allow for a proper investigation. PPB President Wairimu Mbogo noted that without an official report, tracing potentially defective medicines would be difficult
Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga also addressed the matter, acknowledging the concerns but stating that there is no evidence yet confirming substandard medicines
He highlighted ongoing efforts to improve supply chain oversight through a digital track-and-trace system to ensure medicines can be traced from manufacture to patient
Kirwa’s revelations have sparked a national conversation on medicine quality and regulatory oversight in Kenya
