This archive report was first published on 19 May 2020.
On May 17, 2020, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) banned eight more sanitiser brands due to non-compliance with set standards, following a rise in new Covid-19 cases.
Since the first case of the disease was reported in Kenya in mid-March, businesses supplying medical equipment have seen a surge in demand, with some manufacturers cashing in on the opportunity to produce face masks and sanitisers.
However, this has also led to profiteers and counterfeiters taking advantage of the situation, producing substandard goods that pose a risk to public health and safety.
The Kebs move to ban these hazardous products is a critical step in protecting the public, and it is essential that enforcement agencies take action against those implicated in their manufacture and sale.
As of now, no individual or company has been charged in a court of law for flouting regulations and compromising public health safety.
It is time for authorities to move from merely showing teeth to actually biting, and charging those responsible for producing and selling substandard products.
