Business & Covid-19: KEBS Approves Standards to Strengthen Resilience and Continuity

To strengthen resilience and continuity among businesses and organisations, the  Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has approved two new standards on management practices to boost  businesses’ capacity to respond to the COVID-19 protocols.

Kenya Standards KS ISO 22301:2019 and KS ISO 22392:2020 aim to enhance organisations’ ability to recognise  disruptive changes in an environment and adjust to them. The standards come on the backdrop of the COVID 19  pandemic which has had a negative economic impact on the economy and businesses, with 1.7 million people  rendered jobless according to the Kenya National Bureau Statistics (KNBS).  

“These standards will help organisations recognise the opportunities and threats that arise from both sudden or  gradual internal as well as external changes and react to them as has been the case with COVID-19 pandemic,”  says Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS. 

Business continuity has become even more important this year as organisations look for strategies to ensure a  quick resumption of service in the event of a major disruption, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has  affected several sectors of the Kenyan economy such as tourism, trade, transport, real estate and financial  services. 

“The standards outline requirements in that an organisation is able to implement, maintain and improve the  Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) to reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of disruptions, how  to prepare for, respond to and recover from them when they arise,’’ adds Mr Njiraini. 

According to a World Bank report on the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 in Kenya on Firms, close to 65  percent of businesses are experiencing a decline in demand, cash flow, and available finance.

As the pandemic  persists, firms expect sales to continue declining in the coming months. The implementation of these standards  will help businesses withstand the unintended shocks of disruptions, adapt to change and overcome crises and  disruptions. 

The full list of the Standards approved or confirmed by the National Standards Council in May 2021 is available on the KEBS website.