Short weight and packets with less than they say
Weights and Measures Act · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Yes. Selling you less than you paid for, or less than the seller said, is an offence under the Weights and Measures Act, and so is selling a packet that holds less than the quantity printed on it. You can report it to your county weights and measures office.
- Where
- Your county weights and measures office; or the national Weights and Measures Department, State Department for Trade (complaints@trade.go.ke)
Steps
- Report it to your county weights and measures office. They inspect scales and pre-packed goods, investigate complaints and prosecute offences.
- You can also write to the national Weights and Measures Department at the State Department for Trade (complaints@trade.go.ke), which also investigates and prosecutes.
- A weights and measures inspector can take the seller to court for the offence.
Watch out
- For a packet, the seller is only guilty if the shortfall cannot be explained by something that happened after you bought it and took it away.
- A seller can defend themselves by proving they took all reasonable precautions and due care to avoid the offence.
- Using a false or tampered scale or measure for trade is a separate offence, and the scale can be confiscated.
- The general penalty for these offences is a fine of up to KSh 20,000, up to 3 years in prison, or both.
Who this covers
- Anyone who buys goods sold by weight, measure or number (a kilo of sugar, a litre of milk, a dozen eggs).
- A weight the seller tells you, by mouth or in writing, means the net weight (without the packaging) unless they say otherwise.
Official sources (3)
- Weights and Measures Act (Cap. 513) new.kenyalaw.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Weights & Measures trade.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 new.kenyalaw.org · read 3 Oct 2026