- KEBS warns manufacturers against using its certification mark on khat-infused beverages.
- The regulator revokes permits over misuse of certification for products outside approved scopes.
- Consumers urged to verify product certification and report suspected misuse of the KEBS mark.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has cautioned manufacturers and traders against displaying its Standardization Mark (S-Mark) on beverages infused with khat, commonly sold as jaba juice. The regulator says it has already revoked some certification permits over the practice.
In a public notice dated October 16, 2026, KEBS said it had found cases where firms licensed to make fruit juices and fruit drinks used those permits to market khat-infused products. Such a move, it said, is a misuse of the certification system.
According to the bureau, a permit covers only the products named in its approved scope. It therefore cannot be stretched to cover khat-infused beverages or any other item outside that scope.
KEBS also noted that it keeps khat and khat-derived products out of its product certification scheme. The decision is based on regulatory concerns over the plant’s psychoactive constituents, including cathinone and cathine. As a result, the bureau has not issued a Standardisation Mark permit for any khat-infused drink.
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Businesses that display the mark or claim KEBS certification on such products now face enforcement action under the Standards Act, Cap. 496. KEBS explained that these claims misrepresent a product’s certification status. Meanwhile, the regulator said it will continue market surveillance and act against manufacturers and traders found flouting the rules.
For consumers, the message is just as clear. KEBS advised the public that khat-infused beverages are not currently certified by the bureau, and any suggestion otherwise is misleading.
Shoppers can check a product’s certification status through official verification channels, including SMS 20023. Suspected misuse of the mark can be reported on the toll-free line 1545.
By Benedict Aoya
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