WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/660 
27 March 2006 
 (06-1374) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SPS AGREEMENT 
 
Information for the Workshop on 31 March 2006
 
 
Communication from Kenya  
 
 
 The following communication, received on 24 Marc h, 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of Kenya. 
_______________ 
 
 
 Kenya regularly participates in the WTO-SPS Committee meetings.    
Institutions dealing with SPS issues in Kenya
 
 
(a) The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Servi ce (KEPHIS), responsible for all matters 
related to plant health;   
(b) Department of Veterinary Services within  the Ministry of Livestock Development 
and Fisheries.  The Department of Veterina ry Services division of veterinary public 
health is responsible for the quality a nd safety of livestock and livestock products 
including meat, dairy products, eggs and so forth.  It provides meat inspection 
services; 
(c) The Department of Fisheries within the Ministry of Livestock Development and 
Fisheries.  The department is respons ible for fish development in Kenya; 
(d) Director of Medical Services is responsible for human health; 
(e) Ministry of Trade and Industry. 
Information received include meeting schedul es, standards requirement notification, non-
conformances.  
Information received through
: 
 - Director of External Trade 
- WTO-SPS National Enquiry Points - E-mails - WTO websites - Publications/Newsletters 
- IPPC/CODEX/OIE 
- WTO Documentation in Committee on SPS measures and notifications.  G/SPS/GEN/660 
Page 2  
 
   Kenya has a WTO National Committee working gro up at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, 
although most organizations have ad hoc committees working on their mandated areas. 
 
 KEPHIS also receive information directly  from competent authorities on sanitary and 
phytosanitary issues in other countries. 
 
 KEPHIS, through the Director of Agriculture, is  the SPS plant health contact point in Kenya 
and thus able to download any information fo rwarded.  This information is summarized and 
distributed to exporters and shared in different forums like meetings. 
 
 The exporters are encouraged to visit the KEPHIS contact  point and download any new 
information on SPS. 
 
I. MECHANISMS OF INFORMING STAKEHOLDERS 
 The SPS competent authorities (KEPHIS, DVS, etc) encourage information circulation 
through newsletters, paid up adverts in local daili es and electronic media, hold talk shows and give 
regular updates on public forums.   Information is also notified through e-mails and letters.  
II. IDENTIFICATION OF STAKEHOLDERS 
 Regular consultative forums/meeting where all re levant stakeholders are invited.  At such 
forum other stakeholders are identified for invita tion to the next meeting.  There is a National 
Horticultural Task Force which is a public/private sector initiative to address all issues pertaining to 
horticultural trade with emphasis on SPS issues and market requirements.  
 The Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture  is considered as relevant stakeholder so 
as to assist in fast-tracking legal domestication on issues relating to SPS.  
III. PASSING INFORMATION TO OTHERS 
 The information can be passed to other stak eholders outside the cap ital, through extension 
staff agencies in the different corners of the republic.  
 
 The information can also be disseminated th rough exhibition, public barazas, shows, and 
farmer's field days.  In additi on, various non-governmental orga nisations facilitate information 
dissemination through publications, workshops and se minars and certain circumstances engaging the 
Government on the various issues related to WTO and trade in general. 
 
IV. NATIONAL PLANNING ON IMPL EMENTING SPS AGREEMENTS 
 There is National Committee on WTO issues that oversees activities undertaken by the 
different institutions of the Government but also has members from the private sector.  Individual 
Government organizations carry out their own ma ndate depending on their roles in SPS agreements. 
 
 There have also been informal consultation through task forces such as Horticultural Task 
Force that has its secretariat at KEPHIS.   G/SPS/GEN/660 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Technical Assistance Needs  
 
 Capacity building, including setting up sust ained SPS training programmes in diagnostics, 
inspection protocols and laboratories. 
 
 Developing programmes for private sector produ cers and processors in order to meet SPS 
requirements. 
 
 Laboratory infrastructure. 
 
 Assistance in undertaking SPS risk management at production and processing levels.  There is 
need to conduct pest risk analysis that will as sist in establishing pest-free areas that can be 
used for export market.  Such an initiative is being used by the veterinary department in 
export of live animals. 
 
 Upgrade of national level systems (legal a nd operational) to meet international SPS 
standards/requirements. 
 
 Assistance in improving capacity to implement systems for management of quarantine disease 
for both plants and animals, including transboun dary disease e.g., Avian flu, Rinderpest etc. 
 Identification of Needs
 
 
 Trade facilitation meetings organized by the Ministry of Trade where different SPS 
competent authorities and private sector players identify needs and prioritize them. 
 
 Undertaking consultancy surveys and reports on SPS needs like those undertaken by the 
Commonwealth Secretariat, World Bank study report and other studies funded by different organizations. 
 
 Needs assessment for phytosanitary capacity building. 
 
__________