Kenya: Govt Raises Concern of Illegal Import, Medical Lab Assessment Services

Nairobi — The Chief of Executive Officer (CEO ) of Kenya Accreditation Service(KENAS) Martin Chesire has raised concern that there are institutions dubiously providing illegitimate assessment services which include certification of products before they are imported thereby posing threat to the safety of Kenyans.

KENAS is the official government accreditation agency and is mandated to perform accreditation of conformity of assessment services which include calibration, product testing, medical testing, proficiency testing laboratories, inspection, verification, and certification bodies.

Chesire, who spoke during an online engagement forum hosted by Trade Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) David Osiany warned that KENAS will revoke the license of any institution which is found to be providing services illegally.

“If a body has done something dubious, the license is taken from the body and it loses accreditation and will reflect on the website and if it has affected the society, a press release will be made to make the public aware as there are cases where KENAS marks are placed on products not accredited and if a laboratory body is suspended, it will not be able to send any report in the country,” he said.

The forum was aimed at educating Kenyans on the role of KENAS and sensitizing them against getting services from institutions that are not accredited.

“KENAS supports businesses through accreditation by satisfying the body and certifying to make sure the services are good. It also removes barriers to make sure the product is globally accepted,” Chesire said.

For instance, in medical reports, he said that to prove that a facility is accredited, users should confirm the existence of a logo in the test reports.

Further, he said Kenyans should check on websites on the accrediting firms for certificates and confirm on the KENAS website the legitimate bodies.

“There are customer service points where one can make inquiries or report any institutions that are nor accreditted,” he added