This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
Published on November 11, 2019, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) suspended the licenses of five maize millers over high aflatoxin levels in their products.
The affected millers are Kitui Four Mills, Alpha Grain Limited, Pan African Grain Millers, Kenblest Limited, and Kensal Rise Limited.
Kebs banned the sale of their products, including Dola by Kitui Four Mills, Kifaru by Alpha Grain Limited, Starehe by Pan African Grain Millers, 210 Two Ten by Kenblest Limited, and Jembe by Kensal Rise Limited, until the companies take corrective measures to meet Kenya's standards.
Kitui Four Mills questioned the test results, claiming that their internal auditing and tests from external laboratories showed different results.
General Manager Abdalla Said stated that the results differ based on the laboratories used, and the 'unilateral finding' that informed Kebs' statement cannot be relied upon.
He added that the finding contradicts reports from several other independent tests, which showed an acceptable aflatoxin level of 1.5 parts per billion (ppb) in their product against the maximum limit of 10 ppb by Kenya's standards.
The Cereal Millers Association also decried the ban, saying it did not understand the laboratory parameters Kebs used to test the affected brands.
Chairperson Mohamed Islam stated that test results for aflatoxins differ from laboratory to laboratory, and the association would like to take time to understand Kebs' methodology of testing for aflatoxins and compare it with their own independent tests.
