Kenya has increased border surveillance to safeguard the safety of maize as East African Community farmers begin exporting their harvest this season. “We have positioned our laboratories to undertake speedy tests,” Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) managing director Bernard Njiraini said on Monday. We’ve increased our surveillance, testing, and frequency, and we can assure Kenyans that the maize entering into the nation meets the standards’ minimum requirements,” he said.
Mr Njiraini said the grains must match the maximum acceptable aflatoxin levels of 10 parts per billion to be allowed to enter the Kenyan market. He made the remarks in Eldoret during a fact-finding mission in the North Rift region. He stated that countries in the region had developed and harmonised their standards in order to protect consumers. “We have an agreement with the countries that any goods going into our country be inspected, verified, and issued with a certificate of conformity,” said Lt. Col. (Rtd) Njiraini.
In the past two weeks, the influx of grains from the EAC states has resulted in a drop in the prices in the Kenyan market by Sh400 to Sh2800 per 90-kilogramme bag.Currently, a 90-kilo bag of maize costs 2,800, with a similar bag of maize from Tanzania costing between Tsh60, 000 and Tsh65, 000, and Ugandan maize costing Sh2650.
On February 4, the state agency met with the Cereal Millers Association to discuss ways to improve the quality of flour available on the market. Aflatoxin has been a major source of concern in the cereal industry. The agency pulled maize flour from the market last year after it failed to fulfill human consumption guidelines.
