In the Kampala metropolitan area, the National Drug Authority (NDA) has confiscated drugs valued at more than Shs100 million from illegal drug outlets, according to authorities on Friday.
Samuel Kyomukama, head of enforcement at the NDA, informed reporters that they had seized over 303 boxes of drugs, equivalent to the mentioned amount, during the operation on September 29, 2023.
He stated, “Today, NDA concluded a compliance enforcement operation targeting illegal drug outlets in the Kampala metro region, encompassing four divisions: Kawempe, Nakawa, Makindye, and Rubaga.”
Kyomukama disclosed during a press conference at the NDA extension offices in Nakawa, “During the operation, a total of 144 outlets operating without licenses or with unqualified personnel were shut down, and 303 boxes of assorted medicine were confiscated.”
This crackdown coincides with the NDA’s joint operation with the Uganda Police in mid-western Uganda districts of Ntoroko and Kyenjojo, where 7 suspects were arrested for illegal possession and sale of government drugs.
Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson Luke Owesingyire announced on Friday that the police will continue to provide necessary support for ongoing NDA operations in the country.
He cautioned, “Our role as the police is to collaborate with the NDA in enforcement. We also work closely on the investigative side. We want to assure the public that our commitment to assisting the NDA remains unwavering, and we are prepared to assist in charging anyone engaged in illegal activities in the courts of law.”
This operation aligns with the NDA’s mandate to safeguard and promote public health by regulating human and animal medicine and healthcare products.
Illicit medicinal outlets across the country are raided annually, resulting in the seizure of drugs worth hundreds of millions of shillings.