KEBS raises alarm over 32 million litres of substandard cooking oil sold to Kenyans

You may have consumed substandard cooking oil that was flagged by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as unfit for human consumption.

KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari has revealed that 32 million litres of uncleared edible oil were released into the market even after the bureau raised questions about it.

Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Trade and Industrialization on Thursday, Ngari said the oil had not been destroyed or shipped back due to an ongoing investigation, adding that 44 consignments out of the 73 that were shipped through the port of Mombasa had been cleared for entry into the market.

This is despite sample tests on eight of the consignments showing that the samples failed the Vitamin A test and lacked insoluble impurities.

The lack of Vitamin A can lead to various health issues, including eye problems, skin issues, infertility, and growth issues, among others. To ensure public health, all edible oils entering Kenya must meet this certification requirement.

"The oil was unfit for human consumption," Ngari said in response to a question posed by Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute.

"The oil was substandard since it lacked vitamin A," Geoffrey Murira, Director of Quality and Assurance at KEBS, said.

Ngari told the Senators that although KEBS wrote to the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) to ship back or destroy the substandard oil, it did not have the power to stop the other 36 consignments of 32 million litres of cooking oil from being sold to Kenyans.

"Are you telling us you could not follow up to see the consignments destroyed?" Nominared Senator Betty Montet asked Ngari.

"We don’t retest consignments that come with a certificate of conformity," said the KEBS boss in response.

The companies that had been cleared to import the oil under the government’s plan to reduce the cost of cooking oil include; Shehena Commodity Trading Company, Multi Commerce FZC and Charma Holdings.

While the situation with the cooking oil already in the market remains unresolved, documents from KEBS and KNTC indicate that almost half of the 53 million litres of cooking oil that docked at the port of Mombasa have been locked up for over a year.

KEBS says that 23 consignments carrying 20 million litres are still undergoing checks, while some have been rejected.

Given the high temperatures at the coast and the shelf life of the products, it is only a matter of time before the country loses another Ksh.6 billion from goods that will have spoiled.