What is Accreditation?-KENAS

Accreditation is a formal third party confirmation that Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) are competent to carry out specific conformity assessment activities. Conformity Assessment Bodies are those bodies that assess the compliance and or conformance of products, services and suppliers to guided specifications and requirements e.g. Testing and Calibration Laboratories, Proficiency testing Laboratories, Inspection and verification bodies, Medical Laboratories, Certification bodies etc.

Accreditation is distinct from certification because certification focuses on an organization overall compliance with systems and products standards while accreditation focuses on the technical competence of a CAB. Therefore accreditation becomes a formal recognition that the CAB is competent to carry out the declared conformity assessment tasks.

Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) is the only national accreditation body for Kenya that gives formal recognition that Certification Bodies (CBs), Inspection Bodies (IBs) and Laboratories (testing and calibration, medical, veterinary, pharmaceuticals, proficiency testing scheme providers) are competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks