The Department of Weights and Measures held a bilateral engagement with the German National Metrology Institute, Physikalisch Bundesanstalt (PTB), as part of the appraisal mission for the next phase of German Development Cooperation with the East African Community (EAC).
The meeting was attended by a representative of the EAC Secretariat and provided an important platform for discussions on Kenya’s national legal metrology priorities, regional metrology development needs and opportunities for enhanced technical cooperation between Germany, Kenya and the wider EAC region.
The engagement forms part of preparations for the proposed EAC Regional Metrology Cooperation Programme covering May 2027 to April 2030, whose primary focus will strengthen metrology infrastructure and services across the region.
The proposed programme seeks to address existing technical capacity gaps, enhance institutional capabilities and improve the delivery of reliable measurement services to support regional trade, industrial development, consumer protection and economic integration.
The discussions also focused on regional priorities under the EAC Metrology (EAMET) framework, opportunities for technical exchange and specialist training among EAC Partner States and existing gaps in metrology services that could be addressed to meet emerging private-sector demand.
As part of the appraisal mission, the PTB delegation toured the Department’s laboratory facilities to assess existing technical infrastructure and capabilities.
The visit provided an opportunity for the delegation to appreciate the Department’s operational environment, existing technical resources and progress made in strengthening Kenya’s legal metrology infrastructure.
The Director of Weights and Measures John Wamwana who also chairs the EAC Legal Metrology Experts Working Group, highlighted Kenya’s commitment to modernizing measurement infrastructure, strengthening consumer protection and promoting fair trade.
He highlighted the need to improve the accuracy and reliability of road weighbridges, develop measurement standards and regulatory frameworks for utilities and clean energy technologies and strengthen regional and international cooperation through knowledge transfer and technical capacity development.
Mr. Wamwana called for the importance of strengthening collaboration among EAC Partner States and international metrology institutions through knowledge transfer, specialist training, technical exchanges and sustained capacity development.
The Director appreciated Germany’s longstanding support for Kenya’s legal metrology infrastructure, particularly the historical assistance that enabled the acquisition of a weighbridge testing unit in the late 1970s.
He also called for renewed technical support to strengthen this capacity in response to growing demand for weighbridge verification services.
The meeting agreed to sustain the engagement through follow-up technical discussions, with a view to identifying priority interventions through which Kenya and the wider EAC region can benefit from the technical cooperation support of the Government of Germany.
