The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) on Thursday warned that almost 157 water bottling companies are operating illegally.
The regulation body further stated that this water might be contaminated thus posing a danger to the thousands of consumers.
Kebs managing director, Charles Ongwae, said the agency has started a crackdown on the firms and will not stop until all companies comply with the set standards.
“There are people who love shortcuts. Today we are announcing 157 water bottling firms that are operating illegally without valid product certification marks and have failed to meet required standards,” stated Mr Ongwae.
[caption caption="KEBS MD Charles Ongwae"]
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Most of the firms are said to operate in unhygienic areas and use tap water, duping consumers with fake labels.
A recent global study revealed that world’s leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that most likely seep in during the packaging process.
The study was led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York and tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
Plastic was identified in 93 percent of the samples, which included major name brands and the plastic debris included polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used to make bottle caps.
"In this study, 65 percent of the particles we found were actually fragments and not fibres," Mason told AFP.
"I think it is coming through the process of bottling the water. I think that most of the plastic that we are seeing is coming from the bottle itself, it is coming from the cap, it is coming from the industrial process of bottling the water," divulged the researcher.
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