The Nairobi health committee has ordered the immediate closure of all Naivas Supermarket branches within the capital after an inspection uncovered expired food products being sold to unsuspecting consumers.
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The announcement was made on Tuesday, May 13, by the Nairobi County Health Committee during an impromptu inspection of the Naivas Moi Avenue branch in the Central Business District (CBD).
The committee, led by Member of County Assembly (MCA) Maurice Ochieng, cited serious public health violations as grounds for the closure.
“We are on a fact-finding mission. We have walked to almost all eateries and supermarkets, and we are now at the Naivas Supermarket Moi Avenue branch. We have realised that, one, there are expired products which are being put on the shelves, putting Nairobians at risk,” said Ochieng.
Ochieng noted that among the expired goods were items such as Daima yoghurts and others that lacked clear shelf-life indicators, making it difficult for consumers to determine whether they were safe for consumption.
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“Most important is food safety, and we will not sit back. We are urging the CEC, Madam Suzanne Silantoi, to move with speed to ensure Nairobians are safe, because most of these facilities have expired products,” he added.
In addition to expired items, the committee chair raised concerns over food handlers operating without health certifications.
According to the MCA, many staff members responsible for food handling in the supermarket branches had not undergone mandatory medical screening, further increasing health risks for the public.
“Most of the people handling food are not being tested. Therefore, we, as a committee, resolve that we close all the Naivas outlets so that they are tested and given certificates to serve Nairobians,” said Ochieng.
The sweeping closure order is expected to affect dozens of Naivas outlets across Nairobi, a significant disruption to operations for one of Kenya’s largest retail chains.
Naivas Supermarket has yet to issue a formal response to the county’s decision. Tuko.co.ke’s attempts to reach Naivas Supermarket for a comment on the directive were unsuccessful up to the time of publishing.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
