How KEBS plans to regulate chang’aa with new safety guidelines
By Aloys Michael, April 23, 2026Kenya could soon see a major shift in how one of its most controversial traditional drinks is handled, as the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) moves to regulate chang’aa through new safety guidelines aimed at protecting consumers and reducing alcohol-related deaths.
For decades, chang’aa has existed on the fringes of the economy, widely consumed but officially illegal, often blamed for fatal poisonings and driven underground by periodic crackdowns.
Now, regulators are exploring a different approach: bringing the drink into the formal system instead of pushing it further into hiding.
Appearing before Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee, KEBS revealed it is reviewing new standards that would allow traditional brews like chang’aa to be produced and sold within a controlled and regulated framework.
The move could ultimately pave the way for the drink’s commercialisation, placing it alongside other licensed alcoholic beverages on the market.
According to KEBS Quality Assurance Officer John Kabue, the proposed guidelines will introduce strict requirements covering safety, composition, labelling, and overall quality. A key focus is on eliminating harmful substances such as methanol, which has been linked to repeated cases of poisoning and deaths across the country.
“So, on regulation of traditional and informal alcohol categories, of particular relevance to the petition is the chaos on traditional spirit, that is, Chang’aa, which reflects a deliberate regulatory policy approach that seeks to bring traditionally consumed alcoholic products within a controlled safety framework, rather than excluding them from regulation altogether,” Kabue told the committee.
KEBS noted that while it already regulates licensed manufacturers and imported alcoholic products, illicit brews remain largely outside its reach, operating as a criminal and enforcement issue rather than a standards one. By introducing formal guidelines, the agency hopes to close that gap and bring order to a sector long associated with risk.
Tightening the noose on local dens
Currently, all certified alcoholic drinks in Kenya must carry the KEBS Standardisation Mark, while imported products undergo inspection at entry points or certification abroad under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity programme.
The bureau has approved 340 locally manufactured alcoholic beverage brands, warning that any product not listed in its register is uncertified and should not display its quality mark.
To empower consumers, KEBS is urging Kenyans to verify products using its SMS authentication system by sending permit numbers to shortcode 20023. This, officials say, will help weed out counterfeit and potentially dangerous drinks from the market.
However, regulation alone may not solve the problem. KEBS acknowledged ongoing challenges such as the smuggling of neutral spirits and illicit alcohol through informal border points.
The agency called for closer collaboration with the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Defence Forces, and the Kenya Coast Guard Service to strengthen surveillance and enforcement.
The reforms also introduce a digital tracking system for ethanol consignments, to be implemented jointly with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the Interior Ministry.
The system will monitor ethanol from import or production to final use, helping prevent diversion into illegal brewing.
Illicit alcohol remains a massive economic and public health challenge. The trade is estimated at Ksh204 billion annually, costing the government over Ksh71 billion in lost revenue. Recent reports indicate that illegal drinks now account for about 60 per cent of all alcohol consumed in Kenya.
NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa acknowledged that limited funding and lack of prosecutorial powers have weakened enforcement efforts, leaving the agency operating at just 40 per cent capacity.
At the same time, the Interior Ministry is pushing for tougher penalties to deter offenders.
“The current fines (Ksh7,500 for possession of illicit brew) are insufficient deterrents. The Ministry recommends the Committee propose legislative amendments to the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act to impose stiffer penalties, including custodial sentences for the possession of industrial ethanol without a permit,” the ministry said in its submission.
As Kenya grapples with rising consumption of unsafe alcohol, the proposed KEBS guidelines signal a shift in policy,from prohibition to regulation.
If implemented, they could transform chang’aa from a dangerous underground drink into a safer, controlled product, while restoring order to a chaotic sector and protecting thousands of lives.