The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has uncovered a shocking breach of food safety protocols, revealing that over 2 million kilograms of rice imported from Pakistan have failed aflatoxin tests, posing severe health risks to Kenyan consumers.
Official documents indicate that the contaminated rice, shipped in September and October 2024, exceeded locally permissible aflatoxin levels. Despite being declared unfit for human consumption, only a fraction of the rice was intercepted, while the majority infiltrated the market. The consignment, comprising 83,200 bags of rice imported by Gama Food Traders Ltd, arrived through the Port of Mombasa. The first shipment was dispatched from Pakistan on September 29, while the second left Karachi on October 20, coinciding with Kenya’s Mashujaa Day celebrations. Upon arrival, 2,080 tonnes of rice were released to Nairobi from Kilindini Port without the required certificates of conformity.
KEBS market surveillance efforts managed to intercept only 23 tonnes of the contaminated rice, leaving 2,057 tonnes potentially reaching consumers. Laboratory tests confirmed aflatoxin levels as high as 11.54 ppb—more than double the allowable limit of 5.0 ppb. Partial recoveries were made at Anytime Ltd in Nairobi’s Industrial Area, where KEBS recalled 5,300 kg of polla biryani rice and 6,000 kg of kuku biryani rice, yet the bulk of the hazardous product remains unaccounted for.
This incident highlights a troubling pattern of substandard and unsafe goods infiltrating Kenya’s markets. Just three months earlier, KEBS flagged 32 million litres of substandard cooking oil distributed illegally to consumers. Alarmingly, on September 23, KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari disclosed to Parliament that 43 containers of flagged cooking oil had been released despite failing to meet nutritional standards, with the oil later repackaged and sold nationwide.
As the festive season approaches—a time of increased food consumption—these revelations underscore the urgent need for stronger enforcement of food safety regulations. Protecting the health of Kenyan consumers must remain a top priority.
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