The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has raised an alarm over the sale of substandard electronic appliances in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, May 15, KEBS revealed that its surveillance team had seized several electronic appliances being sold in Nairobi CBD and Mombasa.
One of the items seized included power extensions and sockets.
In this case, the sockets were noted to have lacked essential safety features, which pose a risk to many Kenyans at home.
"These substandard universal socket outlets and household appliances were found to lack essential safety features, such as shutters and an earthing mechanism, which pose significant risks of electrocution," KEBS stated.
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"This operation is part of ongoing efforts to ensure consumer safety and maintain product standards."
Additionally, KEBS indicated that most of the substandard devices were labelled in foreign languages, which is against the set standards.
"Items that were exclusively labelled in a foreign language, in this case Chinese, which is against the requirements of the standard, were seized, as they do not meet the labelling requirements for products sold in the Kenyan market," KEBS added.
How to Check for Standard Products
Kenyans can check whether a product meets the required standards by checking for the Standardisation Mark and sending the code to 20023.
If a product does not meet the quality expected, one can call 1545.
