KEBS bosses grilled by DCI over rise of contraband goods in the country

NAIROBI, KENYA: Three top managers at the Kenya Bureau of Standards have been grilled by police over rise of contraband goods in the country.

Kebs Managing Director Charles Ongwae was on Tuesday summoned to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters where he together with his two directors were questioned for almost five hours.

Police said they wanted to understand why there is an influx of contraband goods in the country when there is Kebs and other bodies that are supposed to tame the issue.

Ongwae confirmed police asked them to go to DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road to explain how the goods find their way into the country.

“We met the officers and they made several inquiries about issues of procedure and our working which we responded to in general. They told us investigations will continue and if need be, they will call us again,” he said.

Police wanted to understand how contraband goods do get into the country, measures that Kebs have in place to stop the trend, and how many cases they have detected so far.

After they recorded their statements, the directors left at about 11 PM.

Other sources said the detectives intend to talk to officials at the Kenya Revenue Authority as part of the wider probe into the issue.

The officers want to understand their role in the menace.

“This is a wider probe that will cover all players in the area. We don’t understand why Kenyans are exposed to expired and fake foods and drinks when we have agencies that can stop their importation and manufacture,” said an official aware of the probe.

The development came hours after a multi-agency team had raided shops in Eastleigh and seized a number of contraband goods worth millions of shillings.

Another raid was staged in Athi River. DCI George Kinoti said they had impounded more than ten trucks full of contraband goods.