The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) chairman, Lucas Maitha. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA
The Kenya Bureau of Standards has recruited 30 additional officers and acquired new equipment worth Sh500 million in bid to fight circulation of substandard goods in the market.
The additional officers have been deployed across the country to enhance market surveillance, quality assurance, testing and calibration services, the standards body said on Wednesday as it flagged off 10 new vehicles.
The Kebs chairperson Lucas Maitha said the vehicles will enable the newly hired officers assess compliance levels for both locally manufactured and imported products.
“We call for concerted efforts with other government agencies to help eradicate sub-standard goods seeping through porous borders,” said Mr Maitha.
Kebs is also working on an SMS platform to stop rampant counterfeiting of its mark of quality by unscrupulous traders.
The new technology will guarantee traceability and authenticity of permits and marks of quality of all products in the Kenyan market, the officials said.
“The new technology will facilitate efficient dissemination of information collected through quality assurance, import inspection, testing, market surveillance and monitoring,” said Mr Maitha.
Mr Maitha said Kebs has so far used Sh100 million from its budgetary allocation to equip laboratories with fast standard testing kits.
The standards body wants all products to be inspected and tested for quality before they are released to the market saying that those who will be caught with sub-standard good will face the law.
“We call upon all Kenyans to be vigilant and report any goods they suspect to be sub-standard so that we can nub the culprits and help cut the vice”, Mr Maitha said.
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