Kebs renews contract for pre-shipment firms

By JAMES ANYANZWA

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has appointed a Chinese firm to inspect imports destined to Kenya from China.

In a deal that appears to be out of the ordinary, the Chinese firm will be policing its countrymen amid growing concerns of Chinese firms’ quality standards in the global arena.

The latest move has, however, fuelled disquiet in the manufacturing industry over the likelihood of fake and counterfeit products sneaking into Kenya.

The China Certification and Inspection (Group) Company Ltd (CCIC) is among four Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity companies that have been contracted to undertake inspection activities in different regions of the world, according to Kebs statement.

Others are Societate Generale De Surveillance SA (SGS), Intertek International and Global Inspection South Africa Ltd.

THE STANDARDS

The inspection service involves checking conformity of imported goods to meet national standards or an international equivalent.

At the same time, it encourages importers and exporters to understand the need for compliance and its benefits.

The Chinese company seeks to provide inspection, surveying, certification and testing services. It’s a State corporation accredited by the People’s Republic of China.

China, however, still remains the main source of many unsafe and counterfeit goods coming into Kenya.

suspected goods

It is understood that the milk contamination that took the global market by storm originated from China and was the latest example of suspected goods with Chinese origin.

"Unlike the previous pre-shipment inspection contract, the new deal provides for more than one agent per region, thus providing a wider choice to the exporters/importers," said Kebs Managing Director, Kioko Mang’el in a signed statement.

The old contract, which expired on November 14, was between Kebs, Intertek International and SGS. The new contract came into force yesterday.

Mr Mang’eli, however, noted that goods from the East African Community member states will be subject to EAC regulations and inspection will be in accordance to the local Standards Act.

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