The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has intercepted 24,000 substandard electrical extension sockets worth Ksh2.5 million, imported from China.
The 40-foot container, imported by Hilalium & Sons (Ur Home) Limited, arrived in the country a week ago and was offloaded at the Mitchell Cotts Container Freight Station. It contained 30 cartons of Ailyons-brand extension sockets, weighing 15,390 kilograms.
Speaking to KBC channel 1 in Mombasa, the Managing Director of KEBS, Esther Ngari, stated that although the container was accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), a closer examination revealed discrepancies between the documentation and the actual products in the shipment.”
The KEBS MD further confirmed that the model of the extension sockets that was delivered is different from the one captured in the CoC.
After evaluation, KEBS found that the product doesn’t meet the Kenyan quality standards. The consignment has been handed to the Kenya Revenue Authority for reshipment to the country of origin or destruction at the owner’s cost as per the Standard Act.
She added that KEBS’s primary role is to protect consumers, and such products cannot be allowed into the Kenyan market as they fail to meet the required standards. The extension sockets she disclosed lack essential earthing for user protection while the shutters are open, as such can easily cause electrical accidents.
Additionally, importers of substandard products have been put on notice, as KEBS intensifies surveillance and inspections to safeguard consumers.
