The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has declared Kenya Kwanza’s multi Billion imported cooking oil as unfit for human consumption.
In a letter dated 5th of September to the Managing Director of Kenya Managing Director of the Kenya National Trading Corporation, the Kenya Bureau of Standards concluded that the oil was unfit and should be shipped back.
“The consignments have been rejected and the importer is hereby advised to reship them back to the country of origin within 30 days from the date of this letter, failure to which they shall be destroyed at the importer’s cost.”
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This was decided after the Bureau of Standards subjected consignments entry number 23MBAIM402473344, 23MBAIM403321628, and 23MBAIM403235943 to test against the Kenya Standardization Specification for Fortified Edible Oils and Fats.
Conclusions made by KEBS:
- Fat content the Edible Oils exceeded the required amount by 0.47% by mass containing 99.97 instead of the required 99.5.
- For moisture and matter volatile at 105°C, while the required standard is 0.2. However, the oils subjected to test contained 0.03.
- The acid value of the edible oils measured, potassium hydroxide in milligrams was 0.12 whilst the required standard is 0.6
- Amount of peroxide oxygen per kilogram of oil, while the requirement is 10, the Edible Oils contained 5.42.
- The examined imported oil contained 0.04 of insoluble impurities while the required standard is 0.05.
This comes days after the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) launched a probe into the loss of billions of shillings through the Edible Oil Scam.
However it has emerged that the study was done in July, there has been no action in terms of destruction of the oil so far. All other Imported cooking oil consignment shipped before July were also not subjected to tests at that period.