NAIROBI,Kenya-The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has dismissed allegations that contaminated sugar is being sold in the Kenyan market, assuring the public that no unsafe consignments have been cleared for release.
In a statement issued on Thursday, KEBS emphasized that “no consignment of sugar unfit for human consumption has been cleared for release into the Kenyan market.”
“Our attention is drawn to statements circulating in the public domain alleging that contaminated sugar is circulating in the Kenyan Market,”read the statement by the regulator in part.
The agency clarified that both imported and locally manufactured sugar undergo mandatory and rigorous inspection, testing and certification before release to the market.
The statement comes amid growing public concern following reports on social media and select mainstream platforms claiming that unfit sugar had been distributed to consumers, sparking fears of potential health risks.
The authority, however, dismissed the reports as unverified and urged the public to ignore alarmist information not backed by scientific evidence.
“KEBS remains vigilant and transparent in its duty to protect consumers.We urge the public to disregard unverified and alarming information circulating in social media and other platforms.
KEBS has encouraged the public to report any suspected cases of substandard products through its Wajibika na KEBS initiative.
Consumers can verify the authenticity of a product’s S-Mark or ISM Mark by sending the relevant code via SMS to 20023.
The bureau also provided its toll-free number—1545—for members of the public to report suspicious manufacturers or products during working hours, Monday to Friday.
The country is not new to controversies around illicit sugar.
In February 2025, KEBS confirmed that over 400 bags of sugar, donated by Aldai MP Maryanne Kitany to 30 schools, failed critical safety tests.
The sugar was tested against the Kenyan standard KS EAS: 2021, and designers found it did not meet requirements in conductivity ash, invert sugar, moisture content, polarisation, insoluble matter, total viable count, yeast, and molds. As a result, KEBS declared it unfit for human consumption
