Three businessmen were Monday charged at the Milimani Law Courts for selling counterfeit and expired HIV test kits.
Jones Olouch, Robert Njoya and Eric Mwangi are said to have sold the kits to unsuspecting customers locally and abroad. The public prosecutor also told the court that the suspects stole HIV test kits and exported them to Guyana in South America.
They were charged with selling counterfeit Uni-Gold HIV test kits on diverse dates between September 24, 2019, and December 21, 2020, within Nairobi County.
Mwangi was charged separately with exporting 400 packets of the same kits valued at Sh800,000 to Guyana on December 30, 2019, through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He was additionally accused of handling and exporting the 400 packets of HIV test kits in contravention of the medical law.
Mwangi’s co-accused Robert Njoya was accused of being in possession of five packets of the HIV test kits that had already expired on December 5, 2020. He was found with the packets on December 22, 2020.
Njoya is said to have committed the offense on account of being the proprietor of Intercare Agencies located at Donholm Shopping Center on Duruma Road in Nairobi.
The accused denied all the charges leveled against them and pleaded for lenient bond terms saying that they are law-abiding citizens.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku released them on a cash bail of Sh100,000 each. The case will be mentioned on February 22.
