A proposal by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) to raise licensing fees for professionals and businesses operating in the industry could worsen the situation for already struggling businesses and professionals.

According to a report, some fees will increase by 20–40%, while others will be tripled or doubled by the Pharmacy regulatory body. A select few will be kept, though.

The annual practice license for pharmacists, which was raised from Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 10,000, is one of the proposed taxes.

The wholesale dealer’s license was raised from Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 50,000, and the pharmacy premises registration fee was raised from Ksh 10,000 to Ksh $15,000.

The new proposed changes increase the license to deal in mining, agricultural, and horticultural poisons from Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 10,000, the same as the license to sell Part II poisons.

The companies that manufacture drugs will also be impacted by the new changes, and they will have to pay Ksh5000 per product.

The fee to obtain a pharmaceutical representative permit has increased from Ksh5000 to Ksh10,000.

The cost of the manufacturing license has tripled from Ksh 50,000 to Ksh 150,000, while the cost of document certification has increased from Ksh 1000 to Ksh 10,000.

PPB claims that the organization’s resources have been strained and its revenue base has shrunk as a result of the organization’s expanding regulatory scope, necessitating the introduction of the new increased taxes.