Anti-counterfeit body to dispose bogus products worth Sh7m

Anti-Counterfeit Agency officers prepare to destroy fake products on April 10, 2016 in Mombasa. Contraband seized in Eldoret last year will be disposed of this month. FILE PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Ahmed said the exercise will demonstrate the government’s commitment to safeguarding legitimate businesses from losses.
  • He said the agency has enhanced surveillance by collaborating with different law enforcement agencies.

The government plans to destroy counterfeit goods worth Sh7 million as it intensifies its war on contraband.

The Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) will dispose of the fake products this month at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.

The occasion will be witnessed by local leaders and the public.

ACA Eldoret Regional Manager Yussuf Ahmed said the agency wants to ensure consumers are protected from bad products.

“ACA is ready to partner with other state agencies to make sure the counterfeit menace is effectively eradicated, not only in the North Rift but Kenya as a whole,” Mr Ahmed said.

The goods were seized by the authority in different parts of Eldoret and its environs.

Mr Ahmed said the exercise will demonstrate the government’s commitment to safeguarding legitimate businesses from losses.

“Unscrupulous businesspeople have resorted to selling fake products at throwaway prices at the expense of genuine products,” Mr Yusuf explained.

He urged consumers to be vigilant when purchasing goods to avoid being defrauded.

In an interview with the Nation in Eldoret on Saturday, Mr Ahmed said the agency has enhanced surveillance by collaborating with different law enforcement agencies.

The goods to be destroyed include electrical gadgets, clothes, stationery and vehicle spare parts.

Last month, ACA officials arrested two people in Eldoret who were found with several cartons of fake SKF-branded bearings worth Sh200,000.

Three others were apprehended and fake Tecno mobile phones and accessories worth Sh900,000 seized in the same town.