The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners’ Union (KEHPHPU) has raised alarm over what it describes as serious mismanagement within a key food safety unit at Nairobi City Hall, warning that the situation could expose millions of residents to unsafe food.
In a sharply worded statement issued on Monday, the union said the Food Hygiene and Medical Certification Unit had been placed under the control of an officer it considers unqualified for the role. It argued that the move runs contrary to Kenyan law and risks weakening safeguards meant to protect public health.
At the centre of the row is the appointment of Ann Sakwa, a medical laboratory technologist, to oversee food handling certification and inspections. The union insists that such responsibilities, by statute, fall strictly within the remit of trained public health officers.
“By law, training, and professional practice, this portfolio must be strictly managed by a qualified and licensed Public Health Officer. We cannot sit back and watch Nairobians consume contaminated food and water,” said Hon. Brown Ashira Olaly, the union’s National Secretary General and Chief Executive.
Public health officers are mandated under the Public Health Act and related laws to inspect food premises, certify handlers and enforce hygiene standards. Laboratory technologists, while essential in clinical diagnostics, do not carry the same legal authority in regulatory enforcement, the statement said.
The consequences, it warned, are already being felt. Among the most serious claims is a rise in counterfeit food handlers’ certificates, documents required for anyone working in food preparation. According to the union, these alleged forgeries bypass proper medical screening, allowing unverified individuals to handle food in restaurants, markets and street stalls across the city.
“This administrative irregularity has resulted in an influx of counterfeit certificates,” Hon. Olaly said, adding that the situation “exposes residents to extreme food safety risks.”
The statement also accused the current office holder of undermining oversight structures within the county government, though it did not provide independent evidence to support the claim. Nairobi City County officials had not publicly responded to the allegations by the time of publication.
Health experts say proper certification and inspection are key to preventing outbreaks of foodborne illness, including cholera, which has affected parts of Kenya in recent years. Even small gaps in enforcement can have wide consequences in a densely populated city.
The union has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the county government. It is demanding the immediate reassignment of Ms Sakwa, the reinstatement of a qualified public health officer, and stricter controls over how food handlers are examined and certified.
It also called for food hygiene licensing to be handled separately from general business permits, a move it says would tighten compliance and restore accountability.
Failure to act, the union warned, could lead to industrial action and legal proceedings.
Nairobi residents are now left in the middle of a dispute that touches on something deeply personal: the safety of the food they eat each day. Whether the county moves swiftly to address the concerns may determine how far the issue escalates, and how safe the city’s kitchens remain.
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