More than 11,000 pharmaceutical technologists have threatened to go on strike over new pharmacy practice standards that they say could limit the duties performed by diploma-level practitioners.
The dispute follows the adoption of the 2026 Good Pharmacy Practice Standards by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
The Kenya Pharmaceutical Association has raised concerns that the new rules could restrict diploma holders to dispensaries while giving degree holders wider responsibilities in Level Three to Level Six health facilities.
Association chairman Chitechi Amboka described the guidelines as unfair and said they could affect thousands of pharmaceutical technologists who have been performing important duties in health facilities.
The association claims the new standards could prevent more than 11,000 of its members from handling medicines in about 3,569 public health facilities.
The group says it has already petitioned the Ministry of Health and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board over the matter but has not received a satisfactory response.
It has now announced plans for demonstrations on Thursday to demand that the implementation of the standards be suspended.
The Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists has also opposed the new rules and announced plans to join the demonstrations.
The technologists argue that diploma-level practitioners receive the required training and are licensed by the relevant authorities. They want to continue performing their professional duties across different levels of health facilities.
They have warned that they could shut down their facilities if the government does not address their concerns, saying the dispute could affect healthcare services and efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
However, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has rejected claims that the new standards prevent diploma holders from practising.
Duale said the standards do not bar any category of pharmacy professional from working in Kenya. He explained that qualified professionals can continue working at different levels of the health system as long as they are properly licensed and operate within their approved scope of practice.
The Health Ministry says the standards were developed following years of consultations and are intended to strengthen professional practice and improve patient safety.
The new standards are expected to take effect in January 2027, setting the stage for further discussions between the government and pharmaceutical technologists before implementation.