Kebs has refuted claims that it has signed a contract with a Swiss company for monitoring the importation of
counterfeit goods.
Managing director Charles Ongwae denied the
existence
of the agreement that allegedly saw the company paid
Sh4.5 billion.
“Kebs does not have any such contract with any company, Swiss or otherwise. As currently mobilised, Kebs is functionally incapable of raising the amount mentioned let alone pay a single firm,” he
said
in a statement on Sunday.
SICPA Security Solutions regional vice president Michele Castegnaro said the firm was awarded the Excisable Goods Management Systems contract regularly by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
“Our company has no business with goods imported because it supports the KRA in marking excisable goods in the Kenyan market,” he said.
Ongwae
added that Kenya Bureau of Standards operates a Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity (PVOC) programme with several companies to protect Kenyans from poor quality and harmful imports.
The MD listed the companies as SGS, Bureau Veritas (BV), Intertek, China Certification and Inspection Company (CCIC) and Quality Inspection Services, Japan (QISJ).
He noted the companies were contracted after
transparent and open tendering.
"These are international companies of repute in the field of inspection and the inspection fee is paid directly by importers to them. Twenty seven per cent of the fee is remitted to KEBS as royalties," he said.
The agreement
with the
three import inspection companies will
end in January 2018 and the one with QISJ in March 2018.
Ongwae's remarks followed opposition leader Raila Odinga's claim that the company
was involved in a Sh162 billion revenue rip off on imports.
Raila claimed a
fleecing syndicate stole the money in the last three years.
The funds are said to be from revenue collection on import goods.
Read: