Summary:
The Standards Act (Chapter 496) is the foundational framework governing product and commodity standardization in Kenya.
Description:
The Standards Act establishes the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). This is a corporate body tasked with promoting commercial standardization, testing and verifying commodity quality, and controlling the use of official standardization marks. (Section 4)
Under this Act, compliance with declared national standards becomes legally mandatory for manufacturing and selling specified commodities. The goal is to ensure consumer protection, trade facilitation, and market quality control. This legislation dictates how food products are certified, marked, and prepared for commercial.
For FULL purposes, these are the main highlights (Section 3, 9, 10):
-
The Act introduces specific, state-controlled standardization marks that are legally distinct from commercial trademarks.
-
The Act explicitly states that applying an official standardization mark to any food product receptacle, outer packaging, or attached label constitutes legal use of the mark. Manufacturers cannot sell standard-controlled foods without a verified permit from KEBS to use these labels.
- Food processors are legally barred from applying quality marks or labels to any commodity unless it completely complies with the approved Kenya Standard. This prevents false quality or safety marketing.
- If a food industry or trade sector can prove it is temporarily impossible or impractical to comply with a mandatory standard order, the Minister (on Council advice) can issue a temporary Gazette exemption if it serves the public interest. This prevents supply chain collapses or extreme fiscal stress on specific food sectors during crises.