The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) on Friday seized plastic pipes and construction materials worth Ksh10 million from five companies accused of dealing in substandard products or bearing illegal standardization marks, in heightened countrywide market surveillance activities.
The five companies include Kikuyu Pipes and Fitting Centre (KPFC), Yuanyang Plastic Company Ltd (YY), Doer Industrial Company Ltd (DOER), Vintz Industries (VEER) and Kansun Pipe Ltd.
Kansun were instructed to discontinue manufacturing or offering for sale the affected plastic pipes and also take the necessary corrective actions to bring their production processes under control.
The seized products will be destroyed at the expense of the owners who will in turn be subjected to legal action.
KEBS has also suspended the standardization mark permits of the affected products effective immediately until such a time when corrective actions have been undertaken and confirmed.
“It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure continued product compliance to set 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,” said Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS in a statement to newsrooms.
KEBS monitors the effectiveness of quality controls measures for products sold in the country through factory inspections, product certifications, market surveillance activities at the factory and market to ensure that the public is protected from harmful products.
As part of the product certification scheme, KEBS certifies and issues a Standardization Mark (SM) permit or Diamond Mark of Quality once the product complies with the relevant Kenya Standard. Imports are also issued with a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number.
