Manufacturers in the Lake Region have credited the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) with strengthening product quality, boosting consumer confidence and opening doors to wider markets through training, technical support and certification.
The manufacturers said KEBS interventions had enabled small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve production standards, compete more effectively and access local and regional markets, with ambitions of expanding into international markets.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement forum in Kisumu on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Safigreen Fresh Market Managing Director Daniel Elkana said the bureau’s training and facilitation programmes had helped businesses appreciate the importance of maintaining high-quality standards.
Elkana noted that product quality was critical to customer retention, warning that consumers were unlikely to purchase a product again if their initial experience fell short of expectations.
He commended KEBS for supporting manufacturers to meet the required standards through training and technical assistance, saying the interventions had strengthened their ability to penetrate local and regional markets.
“We are thankful because we are now focusing on quality and how it powers business performance. As SMEs, we have faced challenges accessing markets. When quality is compromised, a customer will not buy your product twice,” said Elkana.
He added that the company’s long-term ambition was to penetrate international markets, noting that compliance with quality standards remained central to achieving that goal.
Elkana said Safigreen Fresh Market specialises in apiculture and value addition, making environmental conservation and consumer health important considerations in its production processes.
He said the company was exploring partnerships with institutions such as the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), KEBS and other industry players to strengthen product development and quality assurance.
“We deal in apiculture and value addition. When we do well, the environment and consumer health must also benefit. We are conscious of the quality of products we produce and sell as SMEs, which is why we are considering bringing on board institutions such as KIRDI, KEBS and other industry players,” he added.
His sentiments were echoed by Faheem Bux, a representative of Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited (KSAIL), who praised the company’s working relationship with KEBS.
Bux said the bureau’s standardisation mark had played an important role in strengthening consumer confidence and enabling manufacturers to establish themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
He noted that consumer trust remained essential to business growth, particularly as buyers became more conscious of the quality and reliability of products.
Meanwhile, KEBS Assistant Director of Quality Assurance and Inspection, Dr Boniface Muendo, said the sixth World Quality Week celebration provided an opportunity for the bureau and industry stakeholders to reflect on their achievements, exchange experiences and identify ways of strengthening quality standards.
Held under the theme Quality: Powering Performance, the engagement brought together manufacturers and other stakeholders to share success stories and discuss the role of quality assurance in advancing trade and protecting consumers.
Muendo said the forum was also aimed at strengthening collaboration between KEBS and manufacturers in fulfilling the bureau’s mandate of promoting standardisation and facilitating trade.
He emphasised that product durability and reliability were essential components of quality assurance, adding that adherence to standards protected consumers from health and environmental risks.
“The key message to our stakeholders today is that quality powers performance. Once your product is established to be of high quality, it stands a better chance of thriving in both local and international markets,” said Muendo.
He added that continued collaboration between KEBS and manufacturers would be critical in improving product standards, strengthening market competitiveness and positioning Kenyan businesses for opportunities beyond the country’s borders.
