The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) issued a public notice stating that the Standardization Mark (S‑Mark) must not appear on beverages containing khat, also known as miraa or muguka, that are sold as jaba juice.

The agency said inspections have uncovered instances where producers licensed for fruit juices are using those licences to label khat‑infused drinks with the S‑Mark.

KEBS explained that a certification permit applies only to the specific product categories listed in the approved scope and does not cover khat‑based beverages or any other items outside that range.

Khat and products derived from the plant are excluded from KEBS’s certification scheme because of regulatory concerns over its psychoactive compounds, such as cathinone and cathine.

The standards body confirmed that it has never issued an S‑Mark permit for any khat‑infused beverage.

Displaying the S‑Mark or claiming KEBS certification on such drinks is deemed misleading and could trigger enforcement under the Standards Act.

In response, KEBS has withdrawn licences for the identified non‑compliant producers and will keep monitoring the market for further misuse of the mark.

Consumers are urged to confirm a product’s certification status via KEBS’s SMS service (code 20023) and to report suspected violations using the toll‑free line 1545.