What good pharmacy practice still needs in Kenya

 

In Kenya, most people view pharmacists as the person behind the counter who reads a prescription and dispenses medicine. The role of pharmacists in pharmacy is no longer confined to dispensing medicines but has developed towards patient treatment management, with larger roles as medical counsellors, educators, and advocates.

Pharmacy practice has continuously advanced along with the health care needs of our population. Pharmacists are an integral part of the health care team and are among the most trusted and accessible health care professionals. This accessibility allows them to perform more patient care activities, including counselling, medication management, and preventive care screenings.

A pharmacist is uniquely positioned to provide disease management through appropriate medication therapy management that has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and decrease overall health care costs. Pharmacists have also expanded their reach to influence the public health of communities. 

The evolution of pharmacy practice eventually necessitates structures to regulate and ensure that pharmacists are equipped to provide the highest standards of care to society. These structures were consolidated to form what is known as Good Pharmacy Practice.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and World Health Organisation (WHO) created the most important international documents regarding good pharmacy practice (GPP) in 2011. The Joint FIP/WHO Guidelines set out the definition, requirements, and need to create standards for good pharmacy practice. This international document guides specific achievable roles, functions, and activities that execute the mission of pharmacy practice globally. In 2026, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has developed and published Good Pharmacy Practice guidelines, which prove to be crucial for the transformation of the profession. These guidelines seek to transform the pharmacy profession by introducing frameworks for pharmacy principles such as quality assurance, leadership development, digital pharmacy services, pharmaceutical marketing, regulatory affairs and compliance, policy development, and people-centred care. 

A research study conducted in Nepal reported that there are several factors that contribute to the successful implementation of GPP, which include: shared leadership, systematic approach, good communication, flexibility for pharmacists, adequate resources, commitment, and evaluation. For instance, we propose that shared leadership could take the form of joint Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK)and Pharmacy and Poisons Board implementation task forces to foresee a systematic rollout approach operating at various counties’ levels. These collective efforts within pharmacy networks should report on overall progress rather than leaving enforcement solely to the regulator. Commitment is intensified when compliance carries visible incentives, such as linking GPP status to licensing renewal or public recognition schemes that reward pharmacies for meeting the standard.

Successful implementation of GPP in Kenya is achievable but will require a dedicated and unified effort. The improvement of national regulations, coupled with an implementation strategy, will be made possible through the effective collaboration between the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and the Ministry of Health.

Policy and institutional collaboration will not guarantee that Good Pharmacy Practice guidelines will take root in Kenya. Adequate evidence will be needed continuously to point out where implementation is succeeding and where it is falling short of expectations. Despite drumming up support for GPP, continued evaluations and PPB inspections become indispensable to obtain data on where implementation is succeeding and where it is failing. This reveals whether GPP is transforming practice or simply existing on paper.

Therefore, we propose the need for investigational studies to assess GPP guidelines implementation status and the various unaddressed challenges towards these standards. The Ministry of Health and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board must lead these efforts: carry out audit inspections and sustain research to ensure the success of these guidelines. Guidelines alone do not translate to best practices; only implementation and evidence do. 

The writer is a pharmacist with expertise in regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and data science, affiliated with AfiaData and a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya