Dj Vnyash
Kenyans may have been exposed to yet another hazardous product after the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) flagged a 2-million-kilogram consignment of rice.
According to documents obtained by the media, the rice—deemed unfit for human consumption—was diverted into the Kenyan market despite its rejection. The consignment, imported from Pakistan between September and October, failed aflatoxin tests, with results indicating levels above the acceptable limit, rendering it unsafe for consumption.
KEBS revealed that 83,000 bags of 25kg rice were transported from the Kilindini port in Mombasa to Nairobi, where it was repackaged and distributed to various wholesalers and retailers. Once officials discovered that the substandard rice had infiltrated the market, they launched a crackdown but managed to recover only 23,000 kilograms.
Market surveillance officers confiscated the contaminated rice at the Central Business Park in Nairobi’s industrial area. However, this is not an isolated incident. Just three months ago, KEBS flagged 32 million liters of cooking oil that had illegally entered the market.
Appearing before lawmakers on September 23, KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari disclosed that 43 out of 73 containers of imported cooking oil were released into the market despite failing to meet KEBS nutritional standards. She explained that companies involved in product packaging purchased the rejected oil and sold it to retailers nationwide.
Ngari emphasized that KEBS had rejected the consignments after testing, and the Kenya National Trade Corporation (KNTC) should not have allowed the products to be sold.
Silverio Omari
