Bureau of Standards moves to deal with substandard goods in Mombasa

MOMBASA, KENYA: Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has said it will establish a laboratory in Mombasa.

The Kebs Managing director Charles Ongwae said that the facility expected to start operations in a year's time will be equipped with state-of-the-art testing facilities.

It is also expected to increase the speed of testing on imported products.

Ongwae said the faster testing of imported goods will help businessmen cut on demurrage costs that are currently high due to delays occasioned by samples having to be sent to Nairobi for testing.

“We have already acquired land to build a testing facility which should start operating in a year's time. We want to ensure the testing standards for the Mombasa laboratory will match those at the Nairobi laboratory," said Ongwae.

Ongwae spoke during a consultative forum with members of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) from Mombasa.

He said Mombasa Port handles the highest volume of imports in the region and therefore the need to have a laboratory to test the standard of the products.

The lab will also tighten the noose on traders importing substandard goods.

“Trade in substandard goods is a big problem in the country. It gives those dealing in counterfeit goods an advantage over manufacturers engaged in genuine business. It also harms the consumers and the environment," said Ongwae

A 2015 report by Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) indicated that local industries lose more than 30 billion shillings each year due to the counterfeit trade.

He said the standards body was keen to cut the cost of transporting samples to Nairobi.
Currently Kebs has laboratories in Kisumu and Nairobi.

Meanwhile Kebs Chairman has asked importers to conform to the new Import Standardization Mark (ISM) before the July 1 deadline for compliance.

“We expect imported goods in the local market to have ISM market," he said.

He said the new ISM had more secure features unlike the old mark which was prone to counterfeiting.
The mark would provide a level playing field to importers as only genuinely cleared and certified products will be allowed in the market.

Kebs Board chairman Lucas Maitha warned importers that products which were not certified and which did not bear the ISM mark will not be sold in the country.