| Country | Authority | Label language | Who files | WHO long-term condition | Documents certified by | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for import inspection; registering authority: your importer confirms | English and/or Kiswahili (import rules) | Your importer or a local applicant | [30 °C/65% RH], IFPMA estimate, not confirmed by the regulator | Not a party to the Apostille Convention; your importer confirms the route | 9 and 13 October 2026 |
| Tanzania | Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) for food imports; for supplements, your importer confirms | Under the food import rules, Kiswahili, English or both, and no stick-on labels; for a supplement, your importer confirms | Your importer (TBS, food rules) | 30 °C/75% RH, reported by national regulators in 2008 | Not a party to the Apostille Convention; your importer confirms the route | 9 and 13 October 2026 |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA): food supplements may not enter the market without prior registration and approval, per USDA's 2024 report; your importer confirms | English or Amharic | Your importer or a local applicant | [30 °C/65% RH], IFPMA estimate, not confirmed by the regulator | Not a party to the Apostille Convention; your importer confirms the route | 9 and 13 October 2026 |
| Uganda | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Your importer confirms | 30 °C/65% RH, confirmed | Not a party to the Apostille Convention; your importer confirms the route | 9 and 13 October 2026 |
WHO's list was written for medicines; square brackets mark an estimate by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA). By the note to Table A10.4 in WHO's TRS 1010, Annex 10, 30 °C/75% RH corresponds to zone IVb and 30 °C/65% RH to zone IVa.
Which language goes on a supplement label for Kenya?
English, Kiswahili or both: the US International Trade Administration's summary of Kenya's rules for imports (July 2024) says that "all labeling of packaging of imports shall include English and/or Kiswahili", without singling out supplements. It also asks for batch numbers and says manufacturers "are required to indicate the date of manufacture and expiry on the labels of consumable products". Which dates a supplement needs, and whether the date on the carton meets the rule, your importer confirms. The plant prints the expiry date and batch number on the carton.
Which authority registers a supplement in Kenya is also for your importer to confirm. In the sources we could open, we found no Kenyan guideline written for supplements. Since February 2026, shipments from several regions go to KEBS inspection on arrival instead of pre-export certification.
Can a sticker fix the label for Tanzania?
Not under Tanzania's food import rules. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on those rules (15 January 2026) says label details go in Kiswahili, English or both, and that stick-on labels are strictly prohibited. Whether the same applies to a supplement, your importer confirms; the safe plan is the whole text printed on the carton, with the artwork approved by you before print.
The report also lists a health certificate from the competent authority of the exporting country among the documents for food imports. Which authority handles supplements in Tanzania, your importer confirms.
Which storage condition does WHO's list give for East Africa?
It differs by country: WHO's stability list (March 2021 update) gives Tanzania 30 °C/75% RH and Uganda 30 °C/65% RH; for Kenya and Ethiopia it has only an IFPMA estimate of 30 °C/65% RH, not confirmed by the regulator.
The list was written for medicines; for a supplement, the regulator of the country of sale decides. In a blister each dose stays sealed until it is pressed out, and how much moisture reaches it depends on the film.
What about Ethiopia and Uganda?
For Ethiopia, the USDA report on food import rules (11 October 2024) gives English or Amharic as the label language and says food supplements may not enter the market without prior registration and approval by EFDA. Your importer confirms the rules in force and files the product. For Uganda, our sources give WHO's condition, 30 °C/65% RH, and the Apostille Convention status.
Can you make supplements under my brand if I distribute in Kenya or East Africa?
Yes: white label with a ready-made formula, or private label with your own. Tablets, capsules and softgels are sealed into blisters on an Uhlmann B 1240, one kind per blister, and cartoned on an IMA IC 150. Delivery is worldwide, EXW by default, FCA or DAP on request, and we send samples before an order.
The manufacturing group behind HYPERPHARM already supplies many clients in Africa; we do not list their countries. More markets are on the Africa page.
What we supply and what your importer confirms
| We supply | Your importer confirms |
|---|---|
| We lay out and print the carton to the label rules of your market, which your importer confirms, and print the lidding foil with your brand. Artwork you already have can be used instead. | Label language, dates and other content, and whether a sticker is allowed |
| Expiry date and batch number on the carton; a standard shelf life of 24 months | Whether food rules on remaining shelf life at import apply to supplements |
| Certificate of Analysis and specification with each batch; copies of the plant's certificates on request: ISO 22000, HACCP and GMP for food supplements, and FDA registration as a food facility | Which authority registers the product, and whether it accepts these documents |
| Where the country of sale asks for documents to be legalised, legalisation is arranged as well (export documents) | How documents are certified, and whether the country of sale asks for a certificate of free sale or a health certificate, which an authority in the country of origin issues |
What your product decides
The right column shows the cost in time, quantity or risk.
| Your product or market | What changes | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Selling in Tanzania | Under the food import rules, label text is printed on the pack, not added as a sticker; for a supplement, your importer confirms | Risk: if the rule applies, an error found after print cannot be covered with a sticker |
| A formula that takes up moisture, sold in Tanzania | WHO's list gives 30 °C/75% RH, which corresponds to zone IVb; the pack decides how much humidity gets in | Risk: stability data are generated in one pack; if the pack changes later, ask your importer whether the regulator wants new data |
| Tablets, capsules or softgels in a blister | One kind per blister, each dose sealed until it is pressed out | Quantity and time: a blister run has its own minimum and production time, given below |
Questions buyers ask about Kenya and East Africa
Which language does Kenya name for the labels of imported goods?
English, Kiswahili or both, according to the US International Trade Administration's summary of Kenya's import rules (July 2024). It covers imports in general, so your importer confirms the rules for a supplement, dates included.
Can a sticker fix the label for Tanzania?
Not under Tanzania's food import rules: USDA's January 2026 report on them says stick-on labels are strictly prohibited. Whether the same applies to a supplement, your importer confirms; the safe plan is Kiswahili, English or both printed on the carton.
Does a shipment to Kenya need a pre-export certificate in 2026?
Not necessarily. Since February 2026, shipments from several regions go to KEBS inspection on arrival instead of pre-export certification. Your importer confirms with KEBS which route your shipment takes.
Which storage condition does WHO's list give for Kenya?
Only an IFPMA estimate of 30 °C/65% RH, not confirmed by the regulator; that condition corresponds to zone IVa. The list is written for medicines.
Who registers a supplement in Kenya or Tanzania?
Your importer or a local applicant, not us. We send the Certificate of Analysis and specification with each batch and copies of the plant's certificates on request. Where the country of sale asks for documents to be legalised, legalisation is arranged as well.
Can a distributor in Kenya order supplements under its own brand?
Yes, as white label with a ready-made formula or private label with its own, in blisters with a printed carton or in other packs.
Where does the expiry date go on a blister product?
On the carton, with the batch number. The date is printed with the carton or added when the blisters are packed into it. Which dates your market wants on the label, your importer confirms.
Which language does Ethiopia name for labels?
English or Amharic, according to USDA's October 2024 report on Ethiopia's food import rules, which also says food supplements may not enter the market without prior registration and approval by EFDA. Your importer confirms the rules in force.
Read more
Blister packaging for hot and humid markets · Climatic zones by country · Shelf life and storage · Blister packing · Quality · White label supplements · Private label supplements · Export documents · West Africa · North Africa · Africa
Ask about supplements for Kenya and East Africa
Send us the product, the countries you plan to sell in, the pack and anything your importer has asked for. We answer within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
For a blister, a run starts from 2,000 cartons printed for your brand (at least 4,000 blisters), with a ready-made formula or your own, and production takes 6 to 10 weeks. Each carton holds 1 to 4 blisters, and the lidding foil is printed for your brand as well.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu
Sources
- International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce: Kenya Country Commercial Guide, Labeling/Marking Requirements, 5 July 2024. Rules for imports in general. Used for: label language, batch numbers and the date of manufacture and expiry on labels of consumable products, remaining shelf life rules for food. trade.gov. Checked 13 October 2026.
- SGS: Kenya renews mandate for pre-export verification of conformity services, news of February 2026. Used for: KEBS inspection on arrival for shipments from several regions instead of pre-export certification. Secondary source; your importer confirms with KEBS. sgs.com. Checked 9 October 2026.
- US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service: Tanzania, Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report, TZ2025-0018, 15 January 2026. Rules for food imports: label language, stick-on labels, registration with TBS, import documents, remaining shelf life. Copy on agriexchange.apeda.gov.in. Checked 13 October 2026.
- US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service: Ethiopia, Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report, ET2024-0018, 11 October 2024. Used for: label language and EFDA's prior registration and approval of food supplements. Copy on agriexchange.apeda.gov.in. Checked 13 October 2026.
- HCCH: Status table of the Apostille Convention (Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents). Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda do not appear in the table (last update 30 June 2026). hcch.net. Checked 13 October 2026.
- World Health Organization: Stability conditions for WHO Member States by Region, update of March 2021, Appendix 1 to Annex 2 of WHO Technical Report Series No. 953. Written for medicines; gives long-term testing conditions, not zone names; square brackets mark an IFPMA estimate; Tanzania's entry was collected from national regulators at the ICDRA conference in 2008, Uganda's is confirmed through a regional group or by the national regulator. who.int. Checked 9 October 2026.
- World Health Organization: WHO Technical Report Series No. 1010 (2018), Annex 10, note to Table A10.4 (conditions for zones II, IVa and IVb). extranet.who.int. Checked 9 October 2026.