Keeping bees and selling honey legally
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, county governments · sources read 12 Oct 2026
To sell packaged honey under your own brand, get the KEBS Standardization Mark (S-Mark): KEBS certifies honey against standard KS EAS 36:2020, and small firms pay a KES 10,000 inspection fee plus VAT. The Ministry's national bee industry rules are still a draft, so we found no national beekeeping licence to apply for.
- Fee
- KSh 10,000S-Mark inspection fee, small enterprise (turnover up to KES 200,000), up to 3 products, plus VATKSh 20,000S-Mark inspection fee, medium enterprise (turnover KES 200,001-500,000), up to 3 products, plus VATKSh 40,000S-Mark inspection fee, large enterprise (turnover over KES 500,000), per site, plus VATKSh 15,000S-Mark permit fee, large enterprise, per product, brand and site, plus VAT
- How long
- An S-Mark permit is valid for two years and can be renewed
- Where
- S-Mark: KEBS KIMS portal (kims.kebs.go.ke), toll-free 1545. Beekeeping advice: your county agriculture/livestock office. Ministry of Agriculture: 0800 724 891, info@kilimo.go.ke
Steps
- Know the standard: KEBS certifies honey against KS EAS 36:2020, Honey - Specification.
- Sign up on the KEBS KIMS portal and apply for the Standardization Mark, then pay the fees.
- KEBS inspects your premises to check you meet the standard, and you put in place a scheme of supervision and control. If approved, you get an S-Mark permit.
- For help with keeping bees (advice, local rules), talk to your county agriculture or livestock office. Agriculture, including animal husbandry, is a county function.
Watch out
- The Ministry has published Livestock (Bee Industry) Regulations, 2023, but the document is a draft with no Legal Notice number. It is not yet law.
- If those draft rules are passed as written, anyone trading along the beekeeping value chain would have to register. Watch for updates from the Ministry.
- KEBS fees are quoted without VAT, so add VAT to the amounts shown.
- Buyers and shops can check a honey S-Mark is genuine by sending SM#<permit number> by SMS to 20023.
Who can apply
- The S-Mark is for manufacturers operating in Kenya, which includes anyone processing and packing honey for sale.
Official sources (5)
- Frequently Asked Questions kebs.go.ke · read 12 Oct 2026
- Products with S-Mark (search: honey) kebs.go.ke · read 12 Oct 2026
- Livestock (documents) kilimo.go.ke · read 12 Oct 2026
- Livestock (Bee Industry) Regulations, 2023 (draft, 15.05.2023) kilimo.go.ke · read 12 Oct 2026
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 treasury.go.ke · read 12 Oct 2026