KEBS clears five Kenyan alcohol brands suspended in Rwanda

The suspension of five Kenyan alcoholic beverage brands in Rwanda has triggered a regulatory dispute between the two East African markets, with Kenya’s standards agency now saying the products meet the required safety and quality standards.

The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) announced the temporary suspension on August 5, 2026.

The affected Kenyan products are Kenya King Gin, Safari Gin, Avalon, Sweet Berry Potable Spirits and Gilbey’s Gin.

Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) issued its response on August 11, saying it had reviewed the products and conducted fresh inspections and laboratory testing.

Which alcohol brands are affected?

According to KEBS, Kenya King Gin and Safari Gin are manufactured by London Distillers Kenya Ltd.

Avalon and Sweet Berry Potable Spirits are manufactured by Zheng Hong (K) Ltd, while Gilbey’s Gin is manufactured by Kenya Breweries Ltd.

The products carry Kenyan Standardization Marks and are certified under applicable Kenyan and East African standards covering alcoholic content, methanol limits, other chemical components, packaging and labelling.

What did KEBS test?

KEBS said its review went beyond checking certification records.

The agency examined previous laboratory reports and carried out targeted inspections of the manufacturing facilities between August 7 and 10, 2026.

Fresh product samples were also collected for laboratory analysis.

The inspections covered manufacturing processes, quality-control systems, production controls, product traceability, hygiene, sanitation, packaging, labelling and Good Manufacturing Practices.

Laboratory testing checked parameters including ethyl alcohol content, methanol, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes and volatile acids.

KEBS said all five products complied with KS EAS 145:2018, the regional gin specification, and KS EAS 109:2018, covering potable spirits.

What about the Rwanda suspension?

This is where the story remains unresolved.

KEBS says it is engaging Rwanda FDA and other regional regulators to establish the basis for the temporary suspension and find a technical resolution through East African Community mechanisms.

In other words, KEBS is not announcing that Rwanda was wrong; it is saying that its own regulatory checks found the products compliant and that the two sides need to establish why their regulatory positions differ.

The distinction is important because a temporary suspension in Rwanda does not automatically mean the products have been declared unsafe in Kenya.

KEBS says it tested 69 spirit products

The agency also pointed to its broader market-surveillance work.

During the 2024/2025 financial year, KEBS said it sampled and tested 69 potable spirit products available in Kenya and found them compliant with applicable standards.

For consumers, KEBS has also reminded the public to check the validity of a product's S-Mark.

The code underneath the mark can be sent to 20023 to verify manufacturing details.

Suspected substandard products can be reported through KEBS toll-free number 1545.

For now, the five brands remain at the centre of a regulatory conversation between Kenya and Rwanda, with the next step expected to come through engagement between the two countries' standards and food-safety authorities.