Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), has been urged to come up with ways of curbing importation of counterfeit products.
Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary, Adan Mohamed, says that the government is losing Sh50 billion annually, through the importation of those products. He added that there is need for locally manufactured goods to be of acceptable standards to be accepted in other countries.
“Those businesses which will fail to implement quality standards risk having goods and services rejected in the marketplace. Even though the government would support and facilitate the manufacture, trade and use of quality products, it was the onus of manufacturers, traders and consumers to ensure the quality of products,” said Mohamed.
The national standards body has unveiled an Integrated Quality Assurance and Inspection System to enable traders to apply for their permits online and on their mobile phone. The new system will be used for issuance of standardization marks, clearance of imports and market surveillance.
Kebs Managing Director, Charles Ongwae, said that the move comes at a time when the country is battling with substandard goods which are entering the country through porous borders in the northern part of the country and unmonitored entry points.
He added that the system will be integrated with the existing Financial Management System and the Laboratory Information Management System, and consumers from Mombasa to Malaba border will be able to verify the authenticity of the permits and marks of quality through sending a text message from a mobile phone.