The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has flagged down two companies for fraudulent activity.
In a notice published on November 18, KEBS announced that the two companies were illegally issuing certifications. They also revealed that the two were KEBS impersonators.
“It has come to our attention that entities going by the name MQA Certification Kenya Ltd and MQA Certification UK Ltd are purporting to have been approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to issue certifications in Kenya,” the notice read.
KEBS came out to clarify to the public that the two companies were not approved and distanced themselves from any affiliation with the companies.
“Kindly note that KEBS has not issued any such approval and neither is it in any way affiliated with the entities,” KEBS announced.
KEBS went on to state that the two were defrauding Kenyans by purporting to be KEBS-approved companies.
“The false statements therefore must be read as a manifest intention to defraud the public,” KEBS claimed.
The bureau further went on to caution Kenyans against dealing with the two companies when seeking to obtain any form of certification services in regard to standards regulation.
“The public is notified and cautioned against engaging with the said entities with respect to any certification services provided by KEBS,” they affirmed.
In recent times, KEBS has been rocked by scandals regarding counterfeit goods in the country. Just under a month ago, quality control officers from KEBS seized 15,000 bags of contaminated rice in a storage facility in Embakasi. The bags were hidden behind bundles of flour sacks in the warehouse, which served as a distribution point to unsuspecting consumers.
In October, KEBS faced an edible oils scandal after a Senate investigation exposed that there was circulation of counterfeit imported oil in the country. According to documents submitted to the Senate, imported edible oils, which entered the country between May and November 2023, failed to meet local standards despite carrying certificates of conformity.
During the Senate investigation, it emerged that the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) had engaged suppliers to import edible oils to stabilise local prices. However, of the 73 consignments that arrived, only 44 were approved by KEBS, with 23 still pending customs clearance.
In the notice, KEBS urged interested persons seeking certification to visit the KEBS website or KEBS offices across the country.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE