Could You Be Eating Contaminated Rice? KEBS Raises Alarm Over 2 Million KG Consignment
The rice that was imported from Pakistan in September and October had failed the aflatoxin tests as it contained higher levels than locally permissible.
Marvin Chege 
You may have consumed another poisonous commodity. The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has raised concerns that a consignment totalling 2 million kilograms declared unfit for human consumption was diverted into the market.
Documents obtained by the standards regulator, according to media reports, paint a shocking discovery. The rice that was imported from Pakistan in September and October had failed the aflatoxin tests as it contained higher levels than locally permissible.
Despite the standards body's declaration that the rice was unfit, only a fraction of it was intercepted, with millions of kilogrammes sneaked into the market thereby exposing Kenyans to health risks.
An image of KEBS offices. /CAPITAL GROUP
The KEBS documents go on to reveal that 83,200 bags of rice were imported by Gama Food Traders Ltd, and shipped through the Indian Ocean to the Port of Mombasa. The first consignment was released from Pakistan on September 29, 2024, and a second consignment was released from Karachi in Pakistan on Mashujaa Day, October 20.
When the rice docked in Mombasa, a total of 2,080 tonnes of rice were released from Kilindini to Nairobi. According to records, this rice consignment was released from the port without certificates of conformity at the point of entry.
When KEBS found out that the contaminated rice was in circulation, market surveillance officers moved into action but only managed to intercept 23 tonnes, with the remaining 2,057 tonnes of the poisonous rice proceeding to the Kenyan market, not a good look if you're a rice consumer.
A fraction of that consignment was seized at Anytime Ltd at Central Business Park Road in the Industrial Area. Upon tests at the KEBS lab, results showed that the rice in the market contained high levels of aflatoxin that is unfit for human consumption.
The tests showed 11.54 levels of aflatoxin per kg against a recommended maximum level of 5.0 per kg.
Attempts by KEBS to recall the contaminated rice from the market did not bear fruits with only 5,300 kgs of polla biryani rice and 6,000 kgs of kuku biryani rice recovered.
It is not the first time that Kenyans have found themselves consuming poisonous or even substandard commodities but this poses a serious risk to millions of them with the festive season known for food aplenty, just weeks away.
Three months ago, 32 million litres of cooking oil was flagged by KEBS after it illegally found its way into the markets. KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari while appearing before parliamentarians on September 23 told the lawmakers that the edible oil got into the market without the permission of the agency.
Ngari said that out of the 73 containers of imported cooking oil, 43 containers containing the cooking oil were released to Kenyans despite failing to meet the requisite KEBS nutritional requirement.
Upon accessing the market, several companies that deal in the packaging of products purchased the cooking oil and sold it to retailers across the country.
