Kenya PVOC

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is the statutory body of the Kenyan government and is responsible for the development of standards for the import and domestic products for the Kenyan market. KEBS has been undertaking the conformity assessment of local products and imported products for many years. However, the verification of imported goods was limited to shipments after arrival, which not only caused delays in the entry of goods, but also required for KEBS for unqualified products. It is returned or destroyed in a manner that does not pollute the environment and bears additional losses.

In order to curb these problems, KEBS began implementing the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) program on September 29, 2005. This is a conformity assessment and verification process for specific commodities for each exporting country to ensure that the quality of imported products and the health and safety of Kenyans and environmental protection are in accordance with Kenyan technical regulations and mandatory standards or approved equivalent standards.

All goods in the PVoC catalog must be issued a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued by a KEBS authorized agency prior to shipment. The CoC certificate is a mandatory customs clearance document in Kenya. Without the certificate, the goods will be refused entry after arriving at the port of Kenya. As an exception, KEBS may accept an importer's application to conduct an inspection at the port of arrival in Kenya, but the importer will bear a 15% penalty for the value of the CIF, 15% of the deposit, and inspection and testing fees.

PVoC includes the following key elements:

- inspection of the goods before shipment;

- sampling, testing and analysis in accredited laboratories;

- review the production process of the product;

- document review;

Basic procedure

To provide maximum flexibility to importers, the PVoC (Pre-Export Verification of Conformity) program has designed three inspection methods for obtaining a Certificate of Conformity (CoC). The choice of method depends on the frequency with which the exporter ships to Kenya and its ability to maintain the quality level at the time of the initial application for certification.

Application inspection

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) will send the import declaration form (IDF) data from the importer to the PVoC inspection agency in the country where the supplier is located. The PVoC inspection agency will contact the exporter and provide the inspection application form (RFC). The exporter must complete the application form together with the formal invoice to send the relevant inspection agency and provide information on the date and place of the inspection. Whenever possible, the exporter will provide a copy of the test report and registration certificate (or permit) when transmitting the RFC form.

Determine the inspection method

The PVoC inspection agency will review the RFC and accompanying documents and identify suitable inspection methods and appropriate standards.

product testing

After confirming the completeness of the documents provided by the applicant, the PVoC Inspection Exhibitor will arrange for product sampling and testing prior to the date of shipment, conducted by an authorized or ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory. The exporter should wait for the test results before shipment.

If the exporter wishes to provide a test certificate by himself, the certificate must come from a laboratory with an ISO/IEC system or another recognized laboratory. The exporter is obliged to arrange for the witness test of the PVoC inspection agency in accordance with the requirements of the inspection agency. The test report should be submitted to the PVoC Inspection Exbody in conjunction with a copy of the laboratory approval. The test report must clearly indicate that the goods will be shipped to Kenya.

Site inspection

The inspection executing agency will contact the inspection applicant and agree on the time and place of the inspection of the goods. Sensory testing is usually used to verify that the goods meet the relevant requirements and to ensure that the goods are consistent with the products previously submitted to the laboratory for testing. If necessary, test samples can be taken for testing during the test, however, in this case, the exporter should wait for the test results to be shipped.

Issuing a certificate

The exporter should submit the final invoice to the PVoC Inspection Executor as soon as possible after the inspection is completed. The PVoC Inspection Executor will conduct a final audit of all inspection and inspection reports and issue a CoC (Certificate Compliance) or NCR (Non Compliance Certificate). The inspection executing agency will indicate all measures that need to be corrected before issuing the certificate. The CoC certificate will only be issued after the difference has been corrected.