Kebs suspends licences for 385 drinks

Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has suspended operation licences for 385 alcohol brands in a move aimed at restoring sanity in the brewing industry.

Kebs MD Charles Ongwae, who made the announcement, said the revocation of licences for the suspicious drinks includes all portal spirits manufactured locally – also referred to as second-generation spirits.

He announced that Kebs had declared methanol a dangerous chemical, making its importation into Kenya difficult before inspection in the country of origin.

“All methanol imported into the country has to be denatured in the country of origin,” the Kebs boss said in a statement.

Mr Ongwae told manufacturers to stop further production of the targeted brands until a thorough review of their operations is undertaken. He said the decision was made after thorough consultations with key interested parties to rid the market of illicit brewers who operated outside of the law.

“Kebs has released a letter to all the certified firms suspending the permits in line with the Standards Act Cap 496 section 10A (1) and regulation 11 of the standardization Marks (Permits and Fees) to immediately stop the production as they await inspection and clearance by the Inter Government, “Mr Ongwae said.

The move is expected to create major disturbance in the breweries sector and dampen the government’s revenue collection prospects as brewers are major revenue providers.

Mr Ongwae said the Association of Spirits Manufacturers of Kenya and the National Alcoholic Beverages Association of Kenya have been served with the list of all the 385 brands suspended from the market.

He said the timeline for review of suspensions would be determined by the inter- government agency team set up to look into the illicit brew production menace.

The associations have appealed for an expedited review and inspection and testing of the affected brands so as to allow innocent brands back to the stalls.

Kebs is also implementing new safety measures to ensure strict compliance with laws and standardisation regulations. Brewers will now be required to set up well equipped laboratories capable of testing both qualitative and quantitative compositions of especially methanol and ethanol.