Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), a binding obligation whose end goal is to not only consolidate cooperation but also leverage safety and quality standards for the two countries – Uganda and Kenya.
The MoU signed by the Government of Uganda represented by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Government of Kenya represented by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) in Nairobi, Kenya on 30th July 2025 is aimed at enhancing trade, market access, and industrial development through Standards, Conformity Assessment, Metrology and Training.
The MoU signed by Eng. James Kasigwa the Executive Director UNBS and Mrs. Esther Ngari the Managing Director of KEBS in an occasion graced and witnessed by both His Excellency the president of the Republic of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and His Excellency the president of the republic of Kenya H.E William Ruto, provides for a framework to strengthen scientific and technical cooperation in areas of Standards, Conformity Assessment, Metrology and Training.
As a result, the two standards agencies will cooperate and assist each other in the field of standardization at national and international levels. The two East African Community (EAC) member states also committed to ensuring harmonization of national standards with international standards.
The two countries agreed to exchange information and documents relating to standardization, rules and procedures for standards formulation. The cooperation further provides for benchmarking and exchange of information on issuance and renewal of standardization and quality marks. In addition to exchanging technical information on certification activities and information on certified products.
The two parties also agreed to exchange information in relation to testing facilities available in their laboratories. This includes exchanging information on the mode of operations in their laboratories, procedures for laboratory tests, and the development of laboratories based on international criteria with the aim of allowing mutual recognition of test reports – acknowledging each other’s assessments or certifications as equivalent to their own.
On inspection, the two standards bodies agreed to exchange information in relation to inspection facilities available to them.
They will also benchmark and harmonize their inspection procedures/ protocols, exchange information on product risk assessments with a view to assisting development of automated risk profiling systems and mutually recognize each party’s notified quality mark issued based on harmonized EAC standards and those issued against national standards.
This is for purposes of determining the compliance of goods in line with harmonized inspection procedures.
Cooperation in Metrology in the form of joint research activities in metrology is also part of the MoU. Uganda and Kenya also agreed to organize training programs to develop the capacity of their experts. This will be through training each other’s personnel and quality practitioners in the field of standardization, metrology and conformity assessment on reciprocal basis and other areas of mutual interest, as may be appropriate.