Boda bodas smuggling substandard goods through border: Kebs
What you need to know:
- Standards agency says coastline has become porous with importation of substandard and counterfeit products.
- Most of the merchandise brought in through “panya routes” were food items.
- Most of the goods originate from Tanzania and Uganda and are marked with the respective countries' standards stamps.
Boda boda operators are being used to sneak substandard goods into the country, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) says.
The motorcycles, Kebs Coast regional manager Martin Nyakiamo yesterday said, are being used to ferry in counterfeits and poor-quality goods through porous border points at the coast.
“From Mombasa to Lamu we have the problem of importation of goods through illegal routes at our border points. There are gaps in Lunga Lunga and Namanga where people pass through with boda bodas bringing in goods which are not up to standard,” said Mr Nyakiamo during an interview in Mombasa Wednesday.
Mr Nyakiamo said most of the merchandise brought in through what he termed as “panya routes” were food items including cereals.
“Food products have dominated but importation of bottled water is also quite rampant putting in mind that our region is facing issues of water scarcity. However, whenever the goods are brought in, our market surveillance team always nab them,” he said.
He said most of the goods originated from Tanzania and Uganda and were marked with the respective countries' standards stamps.
“Whoever is bringing in the goods through the panya routes must check the standard because our mandate is to ensure that the consumer is always protected. Quality of what is coming on the table of the consumers and that of what they use in their daily lives is important to us,” he said.
Taskforce
Due to the gaps, Mr Nyakiamo says a taskforce has been formed to man the border points.
The team, consisting of officers from the Police, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Immigration Department, will work together to curb smuggling.
At the Port of Mombasa, which is the major entry point for imported goods, the agency says its officers conduct verification based on the health and security risk.
“At the moment electronic goods are very high risk products...we have intensified risk analysis and verification by our surveillance unit. When we have anything coming in through the port and we know it is of a risk factor we must stop it whether it has a certificate of conformity or not,” he said.
Last month, counterfeit goods including sugar, shoes, electronic cables and tobacco worth Sh100 million were impounded at the port of Mombasa.
