Stormy PSK meeting on PPB nominations

Back in August 20 at around 7pm, there was a meeting that I’m sure many pharmacists were aware of but probably did not consider it very important. It was PSK election meeting of the nominees to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB). Well, I’m sure those who did not attend might want to know what became of it, and for those who attended, they may find out that the official minutes of the meeting may give an inadequate account of the happenings on that floor. The first two or the only two candidates according to the law were to be nominated and be presented to the minister for appointment. The minister then picks one of the two nominees for each of the four different practice areas of pharmacy and that decision will be gazetted. The minister’s decision will then be final.

Armed with this information, I headed for KICC, was it Aberdares Hall, to vote and follow the proceedings. I was there not so much as a PSK member but as a person who was really trying to know what it was all about. My ballot paper didn’t have much to show for growth if any in the right direction. The same old folks with a mix of new blood here and there were fighting for positions for or for not a little more than the perks and priviledges that come with it. There was a sprinkling of one or two youngsters, who apart from being young(er) pretty had the same generic visions for pharmacy in Kenya for the next three years. In total there were 13 contestants for the four board positions allowed for PSK members. This was one full house and I could sense mixed feelings in the room; those ones of hope, anticipation, resentment as well as curiosity.

One man called Wanjala was not particularly happy today. No one, I noticed, allows him to speak so he forces his words through when he wants to rather allow the chairman to give him to go ahead. He rightfully knows that the chairman will never allowed him to talk, just as he would not have allowed him to write him the letter he wrote him and informed the other PSK members of the letter’s contents via email, if he had the power to. Wanjala definitely knows something but he was obviously outnumbered by the old folks who seemed to have ganged against him, and successfully so. One even alleged that he was attending the meeting illegally because he was not a paid up PSK member at that time. The plot worked because man Wanjala was being forced to defend himself rather than explain more to us why he thinks that the elections were flawed and should be declared by the returning officer null and void. He wanted to produce PSK payment receipt as evidence of him paying his subscription, but then the returning officer himself disowned him. The returning officer added in that he received a memorandum that was not signed, for ownership purposes and so his objection was the only thing that was null and void that evening. The only way that election would have been halted seemed to be by this Wanjala man hiring an independent lawyer, and not the society lawyer who gets some pocket change for running PSK elections, an activity that does not require much of his input, but just his rubber stamp.

But before that there was a small talk from some hirelings of PSK, oops GSK, targeted at marketing a human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. GSK, PSK, what a rhyme? Some city gynaecologist who claims to charge 2000KSh for Pap smear took us through the 200 strains of HPV, a DNA virus, where 15 are known to be high risk. But then the vaccine is available for only two strains, type 16 and 18, the ones that are thought to be the most common, most virulent and most etc. You know most is a very non committal term, a very good thing for anything that is medical school. He had been preceded by a gentleman who I suspect sponsored whatever was to be sponsored in the meeting; the process of the elections may be. I’m informed that elections are nowadays very expensive affairs, not with the printing of secure ballot papers, hiring and paying a returning officer who would rather make his money in commissions of inquiry, and domestic observations of the (il)legality of the process with a view to make some objectionable comments that may require the re-reading of the constitution.

Anyway, I was talking about the ‘CPD’ that was being offered to half or fully asleep audience, most of whom are in their fifty’s or may be older. The rule seems to be the young do not need or want these CPDs while the old sleep through the ‘CPDs’ they really need to renew their annual practice licenses for their businesses. I really doubt a Dominic needs it because I do not think he even has time to practice in his private pharmacy, and the CPDs were not designed for the spouses of pharmacists who seem to be really interested in the workings of a pharmacy. Well, this PSK, no GSK guy managed to add into the very long list of product names in my head a Cervarix®, this 200 bob , no, 1200 bob, no, 4500 bob, no, 7000 bob vaccine. Some wazees were momentarily awoken from their sleep by that part of the talk with some questions related to the mark up. Our marketer today was interested in rubbing this name into our heads more than its price, or may be the price depended on the client pharmacy they will sell their vaccines to. So this was brushed off, and one or two or slightly more pharmacists tried to revisit where sun did not shine during the presentations. A Dr Menge was more interested in the vaccine as a potential toxin, reinforcing the idea that what one thinks is what they are. He also was involved in a PCR brawl where both the presenter and he were struggling to say it is an antigen test using different words. Well, that was resolved, one of them decided to surrender.

Well the presentations were over, and people had earned their CPDs for their practice licenses (not themselves) but the vote counting was still going on. Dr Wanyanga took us through screensaver questions that were more of ‘just for the laughs’ than they were for the topic of discussion. Issues like possible mass male vaccination to prevent the spread of HPV to women and cause cervical cancers were discussed. More relevant issues like the vaccines potential to be used for prophylactic or therapeutic purposes during the early stages of the infection were also discussed. Anyway there were many volunteers (or casuals) who did the ballot papers separation and counting. The room rapidly became empty during Dr Wanyanga’s comical exploits of the topic, which made me conclude that all these people were either here for the CPD points or they were genuinely not interested in the outcome of the elections. Our Dominic aka Ngugi decided to withdraw anyway from the race as a community pharmacy representative but allowed his votes to be counted anyway.

With one down and 13 left, lawyer Mwenesi; our returning officer finally announced the polling results, amidst loud objections by Wanjala and quiet objections by Wanjala’s fans, and it was as follows:

Community Pharmacy

• Anthony Walela 146 (Nominee)
• Muhu Kahiga 24 (Nominee)
• Dominic Karanja (veteran) 54 (withdrew)
• Kijana Baya (veteran) 24

Public Sector Pharmacy

• Wanjau Mbuthia 88 (Nominee)
• Micah Anyona 77 (Nominee)
• Jennifer Orwa 73

This was one close race, too bad there was no female nominee in this category just like in the first.

Industrial Pharmacy

• Ann Maina 97 (Nominee)
• W. Kimatu 86 (Nominee)
• Anastacia Nyalita (veteran) 70
• Larry M. Kimani 43

Hospital Pharmacy

• D. B. Menge 282 (Nominee)
• Bildah Kiama Murage 62 (Nominee)

Bildah was voted for in the wrong category (public sector) giving Menge much more votes than he needed to win the election. The error was corrected during the announcing of the results.


Now the minister of medical services is allowed to pick any of the two nominees to the board. The nominees names will be passed on to him, without the vote tally of course as that will be considered by him to be forcing him to pick predetermined people. The meeting was hurriedly adjourned, lest someone will raise a point of order that may not be readily welcomed by the officials.