G/TBT/2/Add.86/Rev.1  
 
16 February 2015  
(15-0937)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON TECHNICAL 
BARRIERS TO TRADE  
COMMUNICATION FROM KENYA 
Revision 
The following communication, dated 23 January 2015,  has been received from the delegation of 
Kenya. 
 
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In accordance with Article 15.2 of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and 
considering the decision of the TBT Committee of 14 July 1995 concerning the Statement on 
Implementation and Administration as containe d in document G/TBT/1/Rev.5 of 11 December 
1997, the Government of the Republic of Kenya, accepted the Agreements establishing WTO, TBT 
Agreement and the associated Legal Instrument included in Annexes 1, 2 and 3.  
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is responsible for implementation of the 
WTO Agreements, and has the overall responsibility  of ensuring that the obligations under the 
Agreements are fulfilled (Article10.10) Accordin g to the requirements of the Agreement the 
Government of the Republic of Kenya has design ated Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as the 
National Enquiry Point (NEP) for TBT Notifications while the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible 
for the National Enquiry Point on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures (Article 10.1).  
The principal responsibilities of the National Enquiry Point for Kenya include: responding to 
technical enquiries from other WTO Members regarding Kenyan domestic regulations, standards and Conformity Assessment Procedures in force; and fulfillment of the notifications obligations 
under the TBT Agreement (Article 2.9.2). 
 The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is a statut ory body of the Government, established by the 
Standards Act CAP 496 of the Laws of Kenya, and is mandated to provide for the preparation and 
promotion of standards in relation to goods, serv ices, processes and practices. The implementation 
and administration of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade is therefore supported by the Standards Act CAP 496 Laws of Kenya, and is the re sponsibility of the Kenya Bureau of Standards 
(KEBS). 
 Notices concerning standards and technical regulations developed, issued or adopted by regulatory 
bodies in the country are published in the Kenya Gazette and Legal Notices (subsidiary legislation) 
respectively.  The aims and objectives of KEBS include preparat ion of standards and their promotion at national, 
regional and international levels; certification of industrial products; assistance in the production of 
quality goods; improvement of measurement accuraci es; facilitation of trade and dissemination of 
information relating to standards. 
 
1  CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE: 
1.1.  KEBS has accepted the Code of Good Practice for the Preparat ion, Adoption and Application of 
Standards, Annex 3 to the Agreement (G/TBT/CS/N/24). G/TBT/2/Add.86/Rev.1 
 
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  1.2.  Notices of all proposed draft standards are published in the KEBS Standards Work 
Programme Bulletin (issued bi-annually). Interested persons are given a period of 60 (sixty) days to make written comments on Kenya’s Notification under Articles 2.9.4 and 5.6.4 of the Agreement. 
1.3.  The Ministry Health has the responsibility for the quality of goods and services which are the 
subject of trade under the Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, CAP 254 and Public Health Act, CAP 242 respectively. 
2  CERTIFICATION AND INSPECTION 
2.1.  KEBS operates a product certification schem e in line with section 10 of the standardization 
Act, Cap. 496 of the Laws of Kenya. This schem e leads to award of permits to use the product 
certification marks of quality. 
2.2.  KEBS Certification Body (KEBS CB) operates under ISO/IEC 17021: Conformity assessment. 
KEBS CB is accredited by Dutch Accreditation Counc il RVA. Certification services in Kenya include a 
quality, environmental, food safety (HACCP), o ccupational health and safety management systems 
(OHSAS) and product certification. 
3  METROLOGY 3.1.  The National Measurement Standards maintain ed at KEBS are traceable to the International 
System of Units (SI). The KEBS metrology and testing laboratories are accredited to international 
standard ISO/IEC 17025 on general requirements for competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Kenya through KEBS is a member state of the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM). 
3.2.  The Weights and Measures Department is in charge of Legal Metrology and enforces two Acts 
of parliament, namely the Weights and Measur es Act Cap 513 laws of Kenya and the Trade 
Descriptions Act Cap. 503. 
3.3.  These laws establishes a uniform system of units of measurement, control weighing and 
measuring equipment in use for trade, control transactions in some goods, and to protect the public against false trade descriptions. 
4  ACCREDITATION SERVICE 
4.1.  The Kenya National Accreditation Service (KENAS) was established under the State 
Corporations Act Cap. 466; vide Legal Notice No. 55 of May 2009 as the National Accreditation Body (NAB) mandated to offer accreditation servic es in the Kenya. KENAS operates under ISO/IEC 
17020 - General criteria for the operation of va rious types of bodies performing inspection 
4.2.  KENAS is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and; the International 
Laboratory cooperation (ILAC). G/TBT/2/Add.86/Rev.1 
 
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4.3.  Kenya's National Enquiry Point on TBT is se t out below. All enquiries concerning the Kenyan 
implementation of the Agreement should be addressed to: 
WTO-TBT National Enquiry Point for Kenya 
Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) 
KEBS Centre, Popo Road, off Mombas a Road, Behind Bellevue Cinema 
P.O. Box 54974 – 00200 Nairobi Kenya 
Tel: +254 20 6948000, 605573/74, 605550 
Fax: +254 20 609660 /604031 E-mail: info@kebs.org  
Contact Person: Charles Gachahi, Director– Standards Development & Trade 
 
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