By Lorna Abuga
The man Joseph Odhiambo Odour is alleged to have been found selling three drugs that are not registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) at his agrovet shop located at Maili Kumi in Bahati. The alleged unregistered drugs have been identified as Clamex, Minevita, Oxy-fraelone and DCP.
PPB Chief Inspector Dr. Indraph Ragwe told the court that on the material day he was carrying out his inspection duties in the region when he came across the agrovet which is run by the accused person.
“After carrying out the inspection I confirmed that some of the livestock drugs (he was selling) were not registered with Pharmacy and Poisons Board,”
he told Senior Principal Magistrate Liz Gicheha.
He added that that when he interrogated the accused person about the unregistered drugs, the accused person admitted that he was dispensing those drugs to livestock farmers and he was apologetic.
“By the fact that the practitioner was selling those drugs to the farmers he was endangering the lives of livestock and thus violating the Veterinary Surgeon Act,” added the PPB officer.
Ragwe said that after the inspection he informed the accused person the charges he was facing and the together prepared an inventory of unregistered drugs.
“After I completed preparing the inventory, both of us signed it to affirm that the accused person was liable.”
Odour was later arrested and taken to Bahati police station where he recorded a statement and was later arraigned in court to face charges the above charges.
But while in court he alleged that the inspector did not take any action against his colleagues who he say he was with during the time of arrest.
“He only arrested me based on the testimony of my colleagues that I was the one dispensing the drugs while the two were selling farm inputs,” argued Oduor.
“Am shocked he never bothered to ask my colleagues to record a statement with the police to indicate that I was in charge of delivering veterinary services yet he is using their oral testimonies as evidence against me,”
he said while crying foul of malice before he was released on a cash bail of sh6,000 until next year February 2 when his case will be heard.
Veterinary officers the world over usually take an oath to protect the welfare of animals and that of human beings. Article 38 of the Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessionals Act stipulates that anyone who goes against the proper practice of the profession is liable to a fine not exceeding sh100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.
The case is an important indicator that farmers need to be more careful when buying drugs for their livestock.
