7 brands of uncertified sanitizers seized in Nairobi, Nakuru

Officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards have seized seven brands of uncertified sanitizers in Nairobi.

The brands are Angelicas Luxury (A &J LONDON in South C), LULU (Map Cleaning Services Ltd), Vicente (Vicente caps industries on Thika Road), San Gel, Dulax (Dulax Enterprises in Kariobangi), OPTZAR Advanced (Opttum Enterprises Ltd) and 0-Germs (Nakuru).

“We received information from the members of the public that, some traders are selling sanitizers, without the standardization mark (SM) from KEBS , meaning they are fake, and we are working with the Directorate of Criminal investigations ( DCI) to nab the manufacturers who are on the run,” said Director Peter Gaigwara.

Detectives are tracking the manufacturers whose premises are based in Nairobi and Nakuru..

KEBS officials are expected to continue market surveillance team on Friday and over the weekend.

This they said is to ensure unscrupulous traders who want to take advantage of Kenyans seeking to protect themselves against coronavirus are identified and dealt with according to the law.

This comes hours after the government announced plans to start the manufacture of alcohol-based sanitizers to be distributed for free to Kenyans.

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said corporations in the oil industry have volunteered to produce the sanitizers as the fight against coronavirus intensifies.

He directed members of the multi-agency team to identify all ethanol held under any offenses at the various ports and customs in the country.

This ethanol is then to be released to the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) which will in turn liaise with the oil industry players for expedited manufacture and distribution.

“KPC will utilize an accountability framework for the manufacture and distribution of the sanitizers,” said the Public Service boss.

The World Health Organization avers that washing your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water is your most important protective measure.

However, in the event that water and soap are not available, alcohol-based sanitizers are the best next option.

Alcohol destabilizes the outer layers of coronaviruses, potentially damaging and breaking them down enough so that they’re less likely to infect you when you later rub your eye.

CNN reports that if you’re shopping for a hand sanitizer product, many don’t contain any alcohol or have very little, proving relatively worthless against this coronavirus.

And though it’s possible to make your own hand sanitizer at home, you might also end up producing a product that could prove too astringent to your skin.

If made incorrectly, it can be downright harmful.

“I worry about people making their own sanitizer as it will be difficult to make sure that the concentrations are correct,” Daniel Parker, assistant professor of public health at the University of California, Irvine, told CNN of the trend.

For hand sanitizer to be effective, it must have at least 60% alcohol content, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional report from CNN