Pharmacists say the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which is before the National Assembly Committee on Finance, will increase the cost of buying medicine for Kenyans.

PSK chief executive officer Daniella Munene says pharmaceutical sector players have always advised against making medicines tax exempt as it means manufacturers will now absorb input costs, leading to higher prices for patients.

Kenya, which reported its first case of Covid-19 on March 13, had 336 confirmed cases and 94 recoveries as of Friday.

President Kenyatta made these announcements in an address to the nation amid the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and Kenya's efforts to reduce local transmission.

The cost of bread, cooking gas, milk, fishing nets, medical products, fertilisers, mosquito nets and agricultural pest control products will not go up after parliament overturned proposals by the National Treasury that would have seen prices of a host of basic commodities attract taxes. READ MORE...