AS9100 certification in Kenya

AS9100 certification in Kenya at a glance

Aerospace quality in Kenya is mostly a customer requirement, and the one Kenyan aviation approval that exists is a different document. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority certificates organisations that maintain Kenyan-registered aircraft under the Civil Aviation (Approved Maintenance Organisation) Regulations, which is an authority approval rather than a quality system certificate. AS9100 certificates come from certification bodies approved under the aerospace sector's own scheme, and the sub-scopes on the Kenya Accreditation Service's African Accreditation Cooperation certificate show no aerospace entry, so the first question for any body is which approval it holds. Machining, component and service firms in the export zones meet the requirement through their customers. Certificates are issued by approved certification bodies, never by Sterling. Sterling's Nairobi office prepares the system on-site or remotely, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included and 20+ years of practice.

Who needs AS9100 in Kenya, and what happens without it

In Kenya the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Aircraft maintenance organisations serving Kenyan-registered aircraftKCAA certificates these organisations under its own regulations; an AS9100 certificate is a separate quality system certificate that customers may ask for.
• Precision engineering and machining firms aiming at aerospace supply chainsAerospace customers set quality system requirements for their suppliers, and the sector's own scheme decides which certificates they accept.
• Component distributors and service suppliers to aviation customersCustomers flow down quality requirements, including documented control of purchased parts and records.

AS9100 requirements in Kenya

Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.

In Kenya these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →

How to get AS9100 certified in Kenya

One team from the Nairobi office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Kenya are served from Sterling's Nairobi office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against AS9100 and the Kenyan requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does AS9100 certification take in Kenya?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Kenya these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Scope: design, manufacture, maintenance or distribution activities
• Maturity of configuration management, risk and counterfeit part controls
• Customer or prime contractor requirements flowed down to the supplier
• Certification body approval and auditor availability for the aerospace scheme

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does AS9100 certification cost in Kenya?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Kenya these factors move both.

• Number of sites, products and employees in scope
• Product and process validation, inspection and test equipment
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Documentation, traceability and training remediation

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in Kenya

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Kenya are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

AS9100 in Kenya: questions clients ask

More on AS9100 for Kenyan organisations

• AS9100: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement AS9100
• Sterling in Nairobi
• AS9100 certification in Kenya and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Kenyan businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Kenya often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Kenya →