The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has defended 5 Kenyan alcoholic beverage brands that the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) temporarily suspended. KEBS says the products passed all required quality and safety tests and continue to meet Kenyan and East African standards.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, KEBS assured consumers, trade partners, and the public that the affected brands completed rigorous conformity assessment, market surveillance, factory inspections, and laboratory testing.
“The products bear valid Standardization Marks and continue to meet the prescribed requirements for quality, safety, and labelling,” KEBS said.
The Five Suspended Products
KEBS listed the suspended products as Kenya King Gin and Safari Gin, both manufactured by London Distillers Kenya Ltd; Avalon and Sweet Berry Potable Spirits, made by Zheng Hong (K) Ltd; and Gilbey’s Gin, produced by Kenya Breweries Ltd.
The bureau said the products carry certification under East African standards for gin, vodka, and potable spirits, including KS EAS 145:2018, KS EAS 142:2018, and KS EAS 109:2018. These standards cover requirements such as alcohol content, methanol limits, higher alcohols, esters, volatile acids, packaging, labelling, and consumer safety.
After the Rwanda FDA announcement, KEBS said it immediately began a comprehensive review. The review included checking certification records, quality assurance reports, market surveillance findings, factory inspections, and laboratory test results.
KEBS said it also consulted the affected manufacturers, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), partner state standards bureaus, and the East African Community Quality Assurance and Testing Sub-committee.
The bureau’s review found that all 5 products had undergone testing against the applicable standards and met the required quality and safety benchmarks. KEBS also reviewed historical laboratory reports, which it said showed compliance across key parameters, including ethyl alcohol content, methanol, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and volatile acids.
Fresh Inspections Confirm Compliance
To confirm the brands’ current status, KEBS carried out targeted inspections at the manufacturing facilities between August 7 and August 10, 2026. It collected fresh samples for laboratory analysis.
“Laboratory analyses confirmed that all five products complied with the requirements of KS EAS 145:2018 (Gin Specification) and KS EAS 109:2018 (Potable Spirit Specification), including requirements relating to alcohol content, methanol, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes, volatile acids, and product labelling,” KEBS said.
KEBS added that the inspections also showed the manufacturing facilities operated in line with relevant quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.
Track Record and Next Steps
The bureau noted that during the 2024/2025 financial year, it sampled and tested 69 potable spirit products available in Kenya’s market, and all of them met the applicable standards.
KEBS said it is now engaging the Rwanda FDA and other regional regulators to determine the basis for the temporary suspension and work toward a technical resolution through existing East African Community frameworks.
“The Bureau remains committed to protecting consumers, facilitating fair trade, and maintaining confidence in Kenyan products both domestically and across the East African Community,” the statement said.
