Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Acting Managing Director Esther Ngari has admitted that the regulatory body does not conduct tests to ascertain the quality of goods sold locally.
Speaking before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, Ngari said KEBS only conducts inspections on local manufacturing plants to determine whether they comply with set standard regulations before granting them the Diamond Mark of Quality.
PAC Chair, nominated MP John Mbadi, had summoned Ngari to answer why the government spent Ksh.125.1 million to procure more than 100,000 Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, many of which were later found to be defective, in the 2020/21 financial year as part of the Mwananchi Gas project instituted in the 2017/18 financial year.
“Kindly note that it is the responsibility of the person manufacturing a product covered by a Kenya Standard to comply with the requirement of the standards,” Ngari is quoted as saying by the Nation in response to the defective LPG cylinders query.
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Ngari, who was prematurely dismissed for offering inadequate responses, added that KEBS did not inspect the cylinders and that she first heard about their flaws after the PAC summons, much to the bewilderment of the Committee.
Following her admission, Mbadi scolded the KEBS boss while intimating that the regulatory body had become negligent when carrying out its mandate.
“I don’t think any more engagement with you is beneficial to this committee. Just admit that Kebs is not doing its job and that it’s asleep on the job. We need to amend the law to provide punitive measures such as life imprisonment for Kebs officials exposing the lives of people,” said Mbadi.
His sentiments were shared by Wajir South MP Mohamed Adow who reprimanded Ngari for putting the lives of Kenyans at risk.
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“I have always grown to respect KEBS’ mark of quality but little did I know they don’t test or inspect the goods coming into the country and even those sold locally. What quality control are you talking about when all is based on trust? How sure are you that what Kenyans consume is of the right standards? Tell this committee,” Adow said.
KEBS later issued a statement saying it issues product certification to manufacturers who meet the criteria provided for under the Standards Act and, International Standard ISOnEC 17065 2012, which outlines the internationally recognized best practices in product certification.
“In summary, the process involves rigorous inspection and evaluation of the manufacturer’s promises, sampling and testing of the products, and signing of a Scheme of Supervision and Control or Product certification contract with KEBS as a commitment to continuous compliance with relevant standards and regulations governing the product.”
It added KEBS is relentlessly active in ensuring product quality.
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KEBS inspects the manufacturing promises to assess the capability of the manufacturing process to meet the requirements of the Standard in line with Section 10(3), the statement added.
“KEBS samples and tests the product and only issues that certification mark if the product meets the requirements of the relevant Kenya Standard for the product. The manufacturer must sign a certification contract with KEBS which is a systematic guide to quality management activities that the manufacturer shall implement the quality assurance acmies as agreed throughout the validity period.”
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