Court has been informed that indeed expired diapers that were being repackaged at a Mombasa Road Go-down in the year 2018 are a threat to health of children.
Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS) officer David Kisiangani who appeared before magistrate Martha Mutuku has said that he found workers altering original expiry dates on diapers and replacing them with others once.
In the case a tycoon who is also executive chairman of a Ruaraka based logistics company has been charged over the alleged importation and repackaging of expired baby diapers.
Roy Transporters Limited Executive Chairman Mukhtar Rehemtulla Omar is accused on the 11th of October this year at Imperial Industrial Park go down mlolongo in Mavoko in Machakos jointly with others not before court with intent to offer for sale substandard expired baby diapers, he was found with in different processes of erasing 5094 bales the manufacturer and expiry dates on the EZEE baby Diapers.
The first time he went to arrest the workers was on October 11/2018 at a Go down.
“We went and took photos of the scene so that the evidence is well kept by KEBS,” said Kisiangani.
The officer said that the photos were taken at Empirical Industrial Park along Mombasa Road while others were kept at Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Kisiangani added that 45 photos were taken.
He added that the manufacturing dates were 10/2/2015 while the expiring dates were 09/08/2018.
“The original manufacturing dates had lapsed and new manufacturing dates were being inserted, ” he added.
He added that the expired diapers were causing a healthy risk to the children and that they did not take them to Government Chemists because they had already expired.
The officer added that the items were sealed on 22/10/2018 after he had been called by a DCI officer to go and ascertain the quality of products in a go down.
“The people who were altering the dates were using erasers and stamps,” he added.
The court was informed that the workers were removing old stickers and replacing them with new ones and new dates.
“They were putting new stamps and new dates, ” he added.
He said that after they arrived at a go down at Mombasa road, they found activities going on of altering the dates because the products had expired.
Despite the arrest of workers, the IO said that he did not find the two accused who were in court at the scene.
He said that they wanted to verify whether the goods followed due process when being imported but the owners were not present.
The officer produced 2 packets of the alleged expired diapers in court,4 razors and stamps.
Omar is alleged to have committed the offense on 11th October 2018 at Imperial Industrial Park go downs in Mlolongo area, Mavoko sub-county in Machakos with intent to offer for sale the substandard expired diapers.
He is further charged with offering for sale the expired baby diapers without a valid standardization mark printed in them.
The IO is also accused of applying Import Standardization mark (IS-mark) on the diapers without a valid permit issued by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBs).
