KEBS
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) denied on Wednesday that a Ksh17 billion consignment of
edible oil imported by the government through Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) was
unsafe for human use.
In a statement on Wednesday, KEBS stated that it re-inspected and tested the edible oil imported by KNTC and found no safety concerns.
“However, the sampled edible oils did not meet the Vitamin A levels specified in the Kenyan
Standard. This is not a health and safety parameter; KEBS communicated the results to KNTC.We would like to assure the public that KEBS is committed to ensuring the safety and quality of all locally manufactured and imported products into the country,” the statement read in part.
KEBS further stated that it employed the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVC) system to
evaluate the quality of products imported into Kenya.
The edible oil was evaluated by KEBS utilizing Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVC), a standard unit for checking the quality of all commodities and products imported into the country. PVC is implemented in the exporting country to ensure that no inferior items enter the Kenyan market.
“PVC ensures that imported products meet the required standards before entering the Kenyan
market, safeguarding consumer safety and promoting fair trade practices.
KEBS samples and re-inspects products accompanied by Certificates of Conformity (CoCs) at the Port of Entry as a routine,” KEBS stated.
According to previous media reports, KEBS rejected the consignment and instructed KNTC to reship it to the nation of origin or have it destroyed at the importer’s expense.
“The consignments have been rejected and the importer is hereby advised to reship them back to the country of origin within 30 days from the date of this letter, failure to which they shall be destroyed at the importer’s cost,” KEBS said in a letter to KNTC.
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