Nairobi County Health Committee on Wednesday ordered the closure of all Naivas Supermarket outlets across the county over the sale of expired products.
Speaking after making an impromptu visit to one of the outlets along Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s CBD, members of the County Assembly’s Health Committee, led by their chair, MCA Maurice Ochieng of Mountain View Ward, resolved that all the said outlets be closed to pave the way for testing and certification.
“I’m the chairman for health. Here with me, I have the health committee of Nairobi, a committee of 23 members. As we undertake our oversight role today, we inspected eateries within the CBD and visited Carrefour supermarket,” Maurice Ochieng said.
“We are here at Naivas Moi Avenue, and we have realized that there are expired products on the shelf, putting Nairobians at risk.”
He gave an example of Daima Yoghurt, which had expired but was still displayed on the shelves. He added that the committee discovered the supermarket’s food handlers had not undergone medical testing, which is a mandatory requirement.
“We have identified expired products being displayed on shelves, putting Nairobians at significant risk due to compromised food safety,” Mr. Ochieng revealed. “Additionally, we found that the majority of food handlers have not undergone mandatory medical testing, which should occur twice annually. Consequently, as a committee, we have resolved to close all Naivas outlets until all food handlers are tested and certified to ensure the safety of Nairobi residents.”
The committee further urged the Nairobi County government, especially the County Chief Health Officer, Suzanne Silantoi, to take harsh action against Naivas to guarantee food safety for Nairobi residents.
“We will not sit back, and we are urging Suzanne Silantoi to move with speed and make sure Nairobians are safe because most of these facilities have expired products,” he said.
Naivas Supermarket is one of the largest private employers, with approximately 12,000 permanent staff. Its closure might render thousands of Kenyans jobless.
