Kebs clears the air on banned flour brands

Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga (left) awards NCPB Managing Director Joseph Kimote ISO 9001:2015 certification. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has exonerated itself from any blame in the banning of the 27 maize flour brands, maintaining due process was followed before going public.

Bernard Njiraini, the Kebs managing director said letters were sent to manufacturers informing them to withdraw products from the market for failing to meet the set requirement.

Speaking at an event to mark the National Cereals and Produce Board’s (NCPB) ISO: 9001:2015 in Nairobi yesterday, Njiraini said while the aflatoxin level requirement for maize is 10 parts per billion (ppb), there were instances of 100 ppb in the flours that were banned.

“We did the letters to manufacturers, telling them that they have not met this requirement, and withdraw the products,” said Njiraini.

The Cereal Millers Association had protested that Kebs did not reach out to the affected firms before going public. Joseph Kimote, the NCPB managing director said Effective Quality Management System will assist the agency up performance, efficiency and customer satisfaction.

He said there were over 700,000 bags of maize free from aflatoxins. “This maize is well-graded and sorted out. We want to invite anyone willing to buy it to visit NCPB facilities across the country,” said Kimote.