Two people were on Tuesday arraigned in court for allegedly selling non-existent coronavirus self-test kits to Kenyans.
The two were arrested on Monday in Nairobi over allegations of publishing an advert on social media claiming to sell the kits.
Appearing before a Nairobi court, the two; Pravan Mahendra Panchori and Sylvia Dindah Kaleve were charged with illegally authorizing, designing and uploading a misleading advert on March 15th claiming to sell Covid-19 rapid test kits for Sh3,000 each.
The charge sheet read that the advert urged customers to “place an order and avoid hospital queues and crowds as only 400 kits were remaining from a stock of 1,000.”
Mr. Panchori was also charged with operating an unregistered and unlicensed health institution while Ms. Kaleve faced a separate count of performing a procedure without proper training, registration and licensing.
Panchori is the proprietor of Avanè Cosmetic-Dermatology Clinic and Medical Spa located at Yaya Centre, Nairobi.
The two pleaded not guilty to all charges and were released on a cash bail of Sh150,000 each. The matter will be mentioned on April 20th.
Police and officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board (KMPDB) raided the clinic on Monday after the advert emerged on social media. No test kit was recovered from the clinic during the operation.
