Kenya on Monday retired the use of the kilogramme and adopted a more accurate unit of measuring mass.
The kilogramme was defined by a physical object kept in an underground bunker at the Kenya Bureau of Standards offices in South C.
It will now be defined by calculations of electrical current.
However, retailers and manufacturers are not required to replace or calibrate their scales.
Acting Kebs managing director Bernard Nguyo on Monday told the 2019 World Metrology Day celebrations in Nairobi that the changes will not be noticed by the man on the street and industries because there will be no net changes to the derived units.
The change comes after measurement scientists from more than 60 countries unanimously voted to revise the International System of Units. They met during the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Paris last year in November.
“We are not changing the mass weights used in our daily lives for measurements. We are neither reducing the kilogramme nor adding it but rather changing the way it is realised at the apex. A kilo of unga will still remain one kilo,” Nguyo said.
The one-kilo metallic knob kept at Kebs is often sent to France for comparison against the global prototype.
However, the weight of the Kenyan copy – and others around the world - has been changing by microgrammes.
This prompted scientists to adopt a more accurate way of measuring a kilogramme.
International Organisation for Standardisation president-elect Eddy Njoroge underscored the central role of measurements and its applications in the realisation of sustainable economic growth.
“Many ISO documented standards involve appropriate measurement. They thus rely on the ISU and quality infrastructure which provide a fundamental pillar for trade, scientific comparison, innovation and emerging technologies, technical cooperation and a basis for mutual recognition arrangements between governments,” Njoroge said.
The newly redefined units are anticipated to bring benefits to citizens including economic success resulting from the ability to manufacture and trade precisely made and tested products.
Other benefits include improved accuracy in all activities intended for health sector including diagnostics, drug administration and research in treatment solutions.
The government’s Big Four agenda is dependent on the provision of high levels of accuracy and reliability of measurement in all areas of science, technology and human activities.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)
