The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has defended its handling of a controversial consignment of imported raw sugar at the centre of a parliamentary probe, insisting it followed all prescribed inspection and verification procedures before the cargo was cleared into the country.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives on Tuesday, KEBS told MPs that the consignment imported by Mombasa Sugar Refinery Limited complied with the applicable standards and underwent both pre-export and arrival inspections.
The agency was responding to questions raised by lawmakers investigating discrepancies surrounding the sugar consignment, including conflicting documentation indicating different countries of origin.
In an eight-page submission signed by Managing Director Esther Ngari, Kebs maintained that its role was confined to conformity assessment under the Standards Act and did not extend to customs administration or determining the commercial origin of imported goods.
"The applicable standard for imported raw cane sugar is KS EAS 8:2021 Cane Sugar – Specification, which prescribes the quality requirements for cane sugar intended for further industrial processing and refining," KEBS said in its submission.
The bureau explained that before any imported raw sugar is released, it validates import documentation, verifies the authenticity of the Certificate of Conformity (CoC), checks customs entry documents and invoices, and confirms that the consignment has been inspected and tested against the required Kenyan standards.
Ngari further told MPs that the consignment was subjected to the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme in the country of export by a KEBS-appointed inspection contractor before shipment to Kenya.
Upon arrival, the bureau said, officers carried out physical verification to ensure consistency between the imported cargo and accompanying conformity assessment documents before authorising its release.
"Upon arrival, KEBS undertook physical verification of the consignment as part of the import conformity assessment process. The verification confirmed consistency between the imported consignment and the accompanying conformity assessment documentation, including the Certificate of Conformity issued under the PVoC Programme," the bureau said.
Kebs disclosed that the importer submitted a Certificate of Conformity issued by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) in December 2025 together with a Certificate of Analysis detailing the quality parameters assessed against the applicable standards.
The agency insisted that the documents demonstrated compliance with the requirements of the PVoC Programme and were processed in accordance with established import conformity assessment procedures.
Addressing concerns that industrial sugar could be diverted into the retail market, Ngari said safeguards already exist within an inter-agency government framework to ensure imported raw sugar is utilised strictly for its intended industrial purpose.
"The imported raw sugar was handled within an inter-agency oversight framework established by Government to safeguard the integrity of the importation process and ensure that the sugar is utilised strictly for its intended industrial purpose," the bureau said.
Kebs said it participates in the Multi-Agency Team chaired by the Kenya Sugar Board, bringing together government agencies responsible for monitoring the movement, custody and utilisation of imported raw sugar.
The bureau noted that the coordinated framework enables participating agencies to monitor compliance with approved importation conditions and take enforcement action whenever non-compliance is detected.
On questions regarding the assignment of Kebs officers to the Multi-Agency Team overseeing the consignment, the standards agency said officers are selected through normal administrative procedures based on their technical competence, qualifications and statutory responsibilities.
It rejected suggestions that assigning officers to the team conferred responsibilities outside its legal mandate.
"KEBS wishes to clarify that officers assigned to the Multi-Agency Team on the Mombasa Sugar Refinery Limited raw sugar consignment were designated through the Bureau's normal administrative processes and possessed the requisite technical qualifications, experience and knowledge necessary to support Kebs' role within the Multi-Agency framework," the submission states.
The bureau said officers are chosen based on expertise in conformity assessment, import inspection, product certification, quality assurance, food safety and standards compliance, while operational considerations such as availability and continuity of oversight are also taken into account.
Kebs maintained that its participation in the multi-agency arrangement is intended to provide technical input on standards and conformity assessment while collaborating with other institutions exercising complementary statutory mandates.
The agency also stressed that the disputed sugar consignment was processed entirely within the legal and regulatory framework established under the Standards Act and the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity Programme.
"KEBS remains committed to facilitating trade while safeguarding consumers through the application of standards, conformity assessment and collaboration with other Government agencies exercising complementary mandates," the bureau said.
The parliamentary committee chaired by Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali is investigating the importation of the duty-free raw sugar after questions emerged over documentation relating to the consignment and whether all regulatory requirements were complied with before the cargo entered the Kenyan market.
Ngari added that the consignment was imported from South Africa and not Brazil as claimed.
"We never received sugar from Brazil at all," she said.
The committee is expected to continue hearing from other government agencies as it seekls to establish the circumstances surrounding the importation and determine whether any regulatory or administrative lapses occurred.
