Traders in Kakuma have been cautioned against misuse of weighing and measuring equipment.
Such misuse is in contravention of the Weights & Measures Act CAP 513 Laws of Kenya and the Trade Descriptions Act CAP 503.
County Legal Metrology Officers from Department of led by the Senior Administrative Officer (Weights & Measures) Amos Emoru, the team which comprised of Revenue and Enforcement Officers, carried out a one-week inspection visits of trade premises in Kakuma Refugee Camp after receiving numerous complaints from the public.
“We received numerous reports of malpractices, including use of inaccurate counter machines, spring balances and platform machines by unscrupulous traders and we are here to address these concerns,” said Emoru.
He also told traders to be wary of persons masquerading as Weights & Measures inspectors who are on a mission to defraud them urging them to report such cases as appropriate.
Over 63 weighing scales were tested and stamped, as well as calibration of 3 filling stations and sampling of pre-packaged goods for quantitative analysis.
A few of the traders at Kakuma area 1 of the refugee camp had their counter scales verified by unauthorised inspectors, with some skeptical about their continued in business after Kenyan government ordered for closure of refugee camps.
There are rampant cases of mis-description of goods, sale of sub-standard and underweight products as well as tampering with prices and calibration knobs at fuel stations in Kakuma town.
Livingstone Eyanae, County Weights & Measures Officer, urged members of the public to be vigilant and continue reporting similar cases so that unscrupulous traders exploiting the public in the sale of consumable commodities are weeded out.
The role of Weights and Measures Department in the county is to promote fair trade practices by ensuring use of accurate weighing and measuring equipment as well as protecting consumers against exploitation in the sale of goods and services.
By Peter Gitonga
