Among the products affected are sugar, cereals, pulses, fertilizer, animal and fishery products, fresh dairy products, fresh horticultural product, and used or second-hand goods
In a notice on Tuesday, April 27, KEBS notifies all importers and the general public that KEBs has contracted Syokimau ICT transit Shed and Mitchel Cotts PSF in Nairobi where KEBS shall undertake inspection and certification of uninspected goods that will arrive at the port of entry without a certificate of conformity.
“Importers intending to use the above facilities are required to nominate cargo to the preferred station, through the Bill of Landing and Manifest,” the regulatory agency noted.
Normally, goods are to be inspected at their country of origin under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVOC) Program which is a conformity assessment program applied to products at the respective exporting countries, to ensure their compliance with the applicable Kenyan Technical Regulations and Mandatory Standards or approved specifications.
PVOC program was started on September 29, 2005, by KEBS, through the publication of Legal Notice No. 78 of July 2005 by the Minister for Trade and Industry.
The program is operated by accredited third-party inspection companies on behalf of KEBS. The world is divided into 19 regions based on proximity and trade volumes.
In addition, the program provides for multiple partners in a majority of the regions to enhance efficiency. The basis of certification is Kenya standards or approved specifications.
The program has been designed to provide maximum flexibility to exporters and importers by providing four (4) possible routes for obtaining the CoC/CoI.
The route applied depends on the frequency of exporters’ shipments to Kenya and the level of compliance they are able to demonstrate initiative when applying for certification.
According to guidelines issued by KEBS, importers are to ensure their suppliers are conversant with import quality requirements specified in relevant Kenya standards, approved specifications, and other applicable regulations and that their consignments are accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), Certificate of Inspection (CoI) or Certificate of Roadworthiness (CoR) from the appointed PVoC Partners.
The regulatory agency is mandated to ensure that only quality goods gain entry into the country as provided for in the Standards Act Cap 496, Laws of Kenya and the Standards (Verification of Conformity to Standards and other Applicable Regulations) Order, 2020, thereby protecting consumer health and safety as well as the environment in addition to promoting fair trade practices.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM
