The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has moved to reassure consumers and regional trade partners that five Kenyan alcoholic beverage brands temporarily suspended by Rwanda’s regulator comply with applicable quality and safety standards.
The assurance follows a decision by the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) on August 5 to temporarily suspend selected alcoholic beverages, including five products manufactured in Kenya.
The affected Kenyan brands are Kenya King Gin and Safari Gin, manufactured by London Distillers Kenya Ltd; Avalon and Sweet Berry Potable Spirits, manufactured by Zheng Hong (K) Ltd; and Gilbey’s Gin, manufactured by Kenya Breweries Ltd.
In a statement issued Tuesday, KEBS said the five products had undergone conformity assessment, market surveillance, factory inspections and laboratory testing and had been found to comply with applicable Kenyan and East African standards.
The regulator said the products carry valid Standardization Marks and continue to meet prescribed requirements on quality, safety and labelling.
“KEBS wishes to reassure consumers, trade partners, and the public” that the products comply with the applicable standards, the Bureau said, adding that it remained confident in the robustness of its conformity assessment systems.
The products are certified under several East African standards governing alcoholic beverages, including KS EAS 145:2018, which covers gin, KS EAS 142:2018 for vodka and KS EAS 109:2018 for potable spirits.
The standards cover critical areas including composition, alcohol content, methanol limits, higher alcohols, esters, volatile acids, packaging, labelling and consumer safety.
Following the Rwanda FDA announcement, KEBS said it immediately launched a comprehensive review of its records and testing procedures.
The review covered product certification records, quality assurance reports, market surveillance findings, factory inspections and laboratory testing. KEBS also consulted the affected manufacturers, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and standards authorities from other East African Community Partner States, as well as the EAC Quality Assurance and Testing Sub-committee.
According to KEBS, historical laboratory reports showed that the five products had met the relevant requirements at the time of certification and subsequent surveillance.
The tests covered key parameters including ethyl alcohol content, methanol, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes and volatile acids.
The Bureau also pointed to its wider market surveillance programme, saying it sampled and tested 69 potable spirit products available in the Kenyan market during the 2024/2025 financial year and found them compliant with applicable standards.
To establish the current compliance status of the five brands, KEBS conducted targeted inspections of their manufacturing facilities between August 7 and 10.
Fresh samples were collected for laboratory analysis, while inspectors assessed manufacturing processes, quality management systems, process controls, product traceability, hygiene and sanitation, packaging, labelling and Good Manufacturing Practices.
KEBS said the fresh laboratory analyses confirmed that all five products complied with the relevant standards, including requirements on alcohol content, methanol, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes, volatile acids and labelling.
The inspections also found the manufacturing facilities operating in compliance with applicable quality, safety and regulatory requirements.
Despite the findings, KEBS said it was engaging Rwanda FDA and other regional regulatory bodies to establish the basis of the temporary suspension and seek a technical resolution through established East African Community frameworks.
The development comes at a time when the movement of goods and harmonisation of standards remain central to efforts to deepen trade within the East African Community.
KEBS said it remained committed to protecting consumers, facilitating fair trade and maintaining confidence in Kenyan products both locally and across the region.
The Bureau has also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected substandard products.
Consumers can verify the validity of a product’s S-Mark permit by sending the code underneath the mark via SMS to 20023. Suspected substandard products can also be reported to KEBS through its toll-free number 1545 during official working hours.
