The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has announced that it has confiscated one hundred and fifty-four (154) substandard imported portable socket outlets in Nairobi, Mombasa, Thika, and Hola.
KEBS say that the seized socket outlets pose the danger of electrocution to consumers as they do not have shutters, contrary to requirements of Kenya Standard KSEAS 495-2: 2008 – Specification for switched and unswitched socket-outlets.
The seized goods will be destroyed at the owners’ expense.
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer/importer to ensure continued product compliance with standards. Processing, manufacturing, stocking, and/or offering for sale of substandard goods or products that do not comply with set Standards is prohibited by the Laws of Kenya under the Standards Act Chapter 496.
As part of the product certification scheme, KEBS certifies and issues a Standardization Mark (SM)permit or Diamond Mark of Quality (DM) once the product complies with the relevant Kenya Standard. Imports are also issued with a Unique ConsignmentReference (UCR) number.
According to the Standards Act, Cap 496, “any person who fails to comply with any conditions in a permit, shall be guilty of an offence.
Through campaign dubbed “Wajibika Na KEBS”, KEBS connects with the public to report cases about substandard products in the market. To Wajibika, verify whether the S Mark permits on your product is valid by sending the code underneath the S Mark to premium code 20023 to get product validity status details.
To verify whether an official you are dealing with actually works with KEBS, send an SMS to 20023 to get employment details. If the received details are different what the “official” shared with you, report to KEBS Toll-Free 1545 during official working hours of 8.00 AM to 1.00 PM and 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM, Monday to Friday.
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