Residents from the Northrift Counties of Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet have been sensitized on the draft Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Kenya Accreditation Service (General) Regulations, 2025, and the Kenya Accreditation Service (Fees) Regulations, 2025.
The public participation forum on the three KENAS legal instruments held at the County Hall, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, brought together representatives from national and county governments, training institutions, conformity assessment bodies, industry players, and members of the public.
In his Speech delivered by the Secretary Administration Karanja Njora, The State Department for Industry PS Dr. Juma Mukhwana, said the public views are key to enriching the legal documents that are critical to Kenya’s industrial development, regional and continental trade integration, economic competitiveness, and consumer protection.
He said The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, through the State Department for Industry, has developed the Draft Kenya Accreditation Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Kenya Accreditation Service (General) Regulations, 2025, and the Kenya Accreditation Service (Fees) Regulations, 2025.
The PS revealed that the proposed legal instruments are part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Kenya’s national quality infrastructure, enhancing confidence in conformity assessment results, and aligning our accreditation framework with international, regional, and continental best practices.
“A strong accreditation system is a foundational enabler of trade. It reduces technical barriers to trade, supports regulatory cooperation, and facilitates the acceptance of Kenyan products and services across borders,” he said.
He emphasized that the reforms are strategically designed to support Kenya’s participation in the East African Community (EAC), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and other regional and international trading arrangements.
“By aligning Kenya’s accreditation system with internationally recognized standards and mutual recognition arrangements, the proposed framework will help ensure that test results, inspection reports, and certifications issued in Kenya are accepted across the region and beyond, thereby lowering the cost of doing business, reducing duplication, and enhancing access to regional and continental markets,” added PS Mukhwana
PS Mukhwana highlighted the importance of a credible, transparent, and globally aligned accreditation system noting it is essential to unlock trade opportunities, strengthening value chains, and enabling Kenyan enterprises especially micro, small, and medium enterprises to compete effectively within the EAC, AfCFTA, and global markets.
“As Kenya advances its industrialization and export diversification agenda under national development frameworks, including the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, globally aligned accreditation system is not optional,” alluded Mukhwana.
KENAS Board Chairperson Ngeny Biwott said the public participation forum is part of a nationwide process to review and gather feedback on important draft legal instruments; The Kenya Accreditation Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Accreditation (General) Regulations, 2025; and Accreditation (Fees) Regulations, 2025, which have been developed to modernize and strengthen the accreditation framework, ensuring alignment with national and international best practices.
He mentioned that accreditation is central to ensuring quality, reliability, and trust in conformity assessment services including testing laboratories, calibration services, certification bodies, medical laboratories, and inspection bodies.
“A robust legal and regulatory framework promotes, consumer protection, International trade competitiveness, reduction of technical barriers to trade, confidence in products and services locally and globally,” noted the Board Chairperson.
He emphasized the key role of public input in line with the constitutional mandate of public participation to ensure that the final legal instruments are inclusive, practical, and responsive to the needs of industry, consumers, and all stakeholders.
Stakeholders were encouraged to submit written memoranda via email publicparticipation@kenas.go.ke on or before February 6, even as they were assured of KENAS’ commitment to a transparent and impactful legal reform process.
KENAS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Walter Ongeti acknowledged all the stakeholders (government institutions, industry players, professional bodies, conformity assessment bodies, academia, development partners, and members of the public), for their continued partnership with KENAS in the nationwide public participation programme, between 14th January to 6th February 2026, to ensure inclusive and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea representing Governor Jonathan Chelilim, welcomed the public participation forum saying it emphasized the importance of the accreditation process.
Kapkea noted that the county is heavily dependent on agricultural production, making quality assurance critical. He further highlighted the county’s strategic positioning through the establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and County Industrial Parks.
He affirmed the county administration’s commitment to seek KENAS support to assess and ensure compliance to upcoming county key projects like the diagnostic centre at the county hospital, coffee milling plant and others to ensure they meet international standards.
Uasin Gishu County Commissioner, Dr. Eddyson Nyale, lauded KENAS for bringing the information to sensitize the residents in the county to understand the role of the agency. Nyale said this will enable them to seek conformity assessment and standards compliance services in order to safeguard public safety and environmental conservation.
The stakeholders led by Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Uasin Gishu Chapter, Director for Business, Yona Odek, welcomed the new regulations noting they will promote fairness and discipline in the business environment as the entrepreneurs will ensure their goods and services are compliant in order to remain competitive in the market.
Philip Chebii, a medical laboratory expert, appealed for the review of the assessment fees which he said should not be the same amount for all lab facilities. He argued that not all laboratories fall under one category as they are of different levels hence the need for different charges in order to encourage all entities to seek accreditation and not run away.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
