Institute of Trade Standards Administration, Kenya

At the 51st CIML Meeting in Strasbourg, France, Mr. Mason informed the CIML that there had been a record number of nominations for the 2016 award, and declared that the eighth OIML Award for excellent achievements in legal metrology in developing countries would go to the Institute of Trade Standards Administration, Kenya, ITSA.

ITSA Kenya is a professional body of legal metrologists in Kenya which administers, in conjunction with the department of weights and measures, the curriculum for legal metrology officers in Kenya, and it trains legal metrology officers. The Institute also organizes short training courses on request, not just for its own officers but for the legal metrology officers and training institutions in Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia. These training courses have been an important contribution to the development of reliable legal metrology systems in east Africa and the intention of ITSA is to continue to expand these activities in the future. Although ITSA does not have a permanent management staff or an office as such, it is run by an executive council elected by its Members at its annual general meeting. The elected members of the ITSA executive council are also the serving legal metrology officers in the department of weights and measures of Kenya.

On behalf of the Committee Mr. Mason said he wanted to offer the warmest congratulations to the Institute through the Kenyan CIML Member, who he hoped would come to the podium to accept the award. He wanted him to pass on the Committee’s thanks and congratulations for everything ITSA did for its legal metrology community. Mr. Mason invited Mr. Onyancha to say a few words, although he revealed that he had decided not to tell Mr. Onyancha that he was going to receive this award, so he had not had a chance to prepare an acceptance speech!

Mr. Onyancha said he was very surprised and commented that Mr. Mason had managed to keep it a secret all week! He said he was delighted, and on behalf of his country he wanted to thank the Committee for recognizing what his institution had been doing to help developing countries achieve the level of legal metrology that was required. As Members were aware, legal metrology was everything, since without legal metrology, trade could not take place, so in Kenya they were striving to ensure that all their neighboring countries developed their infrastructure so that they could contribute effectively. He wanted to thank Mr. Mason specifically, and said that he would be leaving a good legacy behind which would continue long after his tenure. He also wanted to thank all his colleagues who had assisted in some way or another, specifically the PTB, and he emphasized that Kenya would carry on cooperating with them so that legal metrology could go on being developed in Africa and the rest of the world.

Mr. Onyancha receiving the Award from CIML President Mr. Peter Mason
during the 51st CIML Meeting in October 2016