The Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry government (MITI) has sought to enhance the quality of infrastructure in the investment and micro sectors of the country.
Speaking in Nairobi, Friday, during the National Validation workshop on Kenya Quality Policy, Cabinet Secretary (CS), Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Industry, Salim Mvurya, noted that the microenterprises are taking up the biggest percentage of investment in the country.
He said that the development of the policy has been a process of about two years, and therefore, there is a need to orient the policy, beginning with value addition for the quality at production and not the quality at the national market.
The CS highlighted that the validation workshop marks another milestone in the process of putting in place a sound policy and legal framework in order to enhance Kenya’s quality infrastructure consisting of standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, technical regulations, and market surveillance.
“The development of the policy being validated on August 16, 2024, has been guided by a laydown of national policy development guidelines that emphasizes the need to consult the stakeholders on matters affecting them,” affirmed Mvurya.
Mvurya pointed out that the policy is underpinned with the motto ‘one measure, one standard, one accredited, and one conformity assessment that is accepted worldwide,’ adding that as the globalization market continues in its relentless pace, as it is shaped by technological development, the government is kept considering the organizational framework of the quality infrastructure.
Mvurya voiced that the proposed policy is aimed at addressing the quality and accreditation gaps of products by providing a framework to coordinate the accreditation of quality of goods and services manufactured locally before export.
“We have a number of organizations in government who are looking at the issues of quality and accreditation; however, we have not had a well-coordinated mechanism, and therefore this policy is a framework of proper coordination,” he remarked.
The CS stressed that the policy comes at an ideal time where Kenya has positioned itself following several partnership agreements, such as the European Union and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), where the policy will graduate Kenya’s acceptance of products in the global market.
He at the same time observed that the policy will complement the existing standards authorities to ensure that they operate within a framework that is well coordinated and prepare MSMEs, which form the biggest population of investors in the country, to have a framework of accreditation.
Mvurya noted that the quality infrastructure of Kenya comprises the policies, rules, and regulations of public and private organizations that aim to enhance the quality and safety of the goods and services provided.
“The policy will greatly assist the country in achieving the aspiration of Vision 2030, a globally competitive country, by providing high-quality products for both local and international markets while it assures social, environmental, and consumer protection,” he assured.
However, the CS noted that the Kenyan quality infrastructure faces several challenges, including low-capacity unlimited skills among quality top organizations, inadequate public awareness on matters of quality, consistency in policies, legal regulatory and institutional framework coordination, and synergy, among others.
“Inadequate coverage of emerging markets and slow adoption of quality infrastructure changes and risks,” he added, noting that the scenario has created a situation where Kenya faces challenges in accessing markets due to the absence of clear and internationally recognized policy infrastructure.
The CS maintained that the implementation of the Kenya quality policy will ensure the country has supportive and internationally recognized policy infrastructure, promote a quality culture that will, in turn, protect the consumers’ rights as outlined in the constitution of Kenya, and encourage the industries and organizations to adopt the quality-improvement practices in their day-to-day activities.
“The quality policy aims at ensuring an effective operation of the domestic markets widely and the technical regulation regime to an internationally recognized quality infrastructure to enable access to international markets,” he reiterated.
Mvurya mentioned that the policy covers standardization, technical regulation, accreditation, and market surveillance as provided by public and private organizations at the county and national levels and coordination mechanisms.
“The policy will also ensure that the products produced are available nationally and internationally to meet the requisite standards,” added Mvurya.
He acknowledged the stakeholders support in the development of the policy by providing consultant services and expertise, stakeholder support in public consultation activities, forums, and technical support.
By Sharon Atieno
