NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, July 5, 2019

By Anthony Lagat

Ken Cheruiyot, a pharmaceutical technician, runs a small pharmacy wedged on a street corner near a busy bus stop in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum. He can easily count five other pharmacies that are visible from his door. It is the antibiotics and cold and flu syrups for children that move fast during this cold season, he said.

According to Cheruiyot, most residents of Kibera would rather visit a pharmacy or clinic than a public hospital, where they typically endure long, winding queues and pay a consultation fee, in addition to the fare they would likely be charged to get there.

“Many people come here instead of going to the hospital because it is near, cheaper than the hospital, and they can be attended to faster,” he said.

Photo courtesy of psyberartist.