The Kentons History

Kentons Chemists was started in 1979 by Dr Ashok K. Shah , B.Pharm (Hons), MRPharmS  who qualified at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. After graduation he spent two years with Boots the chemists, a large retail pharmacy chain in the UK, first as a management trainee and later as a branch manager. In 1979 he came back to Kisumu, his birthplace, to start a retail pharmacy under the name of Kentons Chemists.

The experience gained in management, merchandising and marketing techniques learnt in England were put to use here in starting our pharmacy, which gave benefit of low prices, good service and value for money to the people of Kisumu.
We started as retail chemists concentrating on prescriptions, counter sales, cosmetics, toiletries and babycare with one mission, that is to sell good quality products at low prices.

This consumer-friendly approach meant that we rapidly increased our turnover and became a leading retailer of healthcare products, toiletries, cosmetics and babycare products.
With increasing competition over a period of time from supermarkets and other chain stores we shifted our focus to our core business which is pharmaceuticals.

Today we are the largest wholesaler of pharmaceuticals in Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western province, and one of the largest in Kenya. We are an established full range pharmaceutical company that has been in reputable business for the last thirty years.
Our strategy is simple, to buy in bulk and pass on the discounts to our customers, mainly chemists, hospitals and clinics. We believe in low profit margins and high turnover. This enables us to provide fresh stocks and products with long expiry dates, which also benefit our customers and patients.

We have been fortunate to have our strong growth and success of the business recognized by being voted as a Kenya TOP 100 company for two consecutive years. These awards have been a statement to our commitment and dedication to providing efficient distribution of medications by ensuring high standards of customer service and providing the lowest prices in the pharmaceutical market.