Nairobi — Importers and manufacturers who did not apply for the standardisation mark by July 1 will get a second chance after the Kenya Bureau of Standards extended the period by three months.

According to Kebs Lake Region manager Vincent Cheruiyot, the extension was necessary to "allow everyone to come on board as the response was good, especially from the big companies."

Mr Cheruiyot said that the additional time was mainly meant for the small scale manufacturers, most of whom had not applied for the mark and also for the importers. "We also got a request from importers for more time ," said Mr Cheruiyot.

Firms in Kisumu, Mr Cheruiyot said, showed positive response despite some of them losing their businesses and documents in the post-election turmoil.

Manufacturers

The deadline for manufacturers to have the mark had been set for July 1 this year but this will now have to wait until October 1.

Kebs had previously stated that there would be no extension of the period arguing that it had granted enough time for manufacturers to apply for the mark.