Fight counterfeit goods
What you need to know:
- The bureau deserves support. As an agency that has been at the forefront in ensuring that consumers get only quality goods, Kebs is warning that it will not be easy.
The increased dumping of substandard goods into the market is a serious challenge. The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has over the years seized and burnt such counterfeits worth hundreds of millions of shillings, but the illicit trade continues.
Left unchecked, the threat to the economy in terms of lost tax revenue and health consequences from the use of counterfeit drugs is dire.
This explains why Kebs, which has made impressive gains in the fight against dumping, is seeking a review of the law to institute sterner penalties, including long jail terms, for offenders.
SUPPORT
The bureau deserves support. As an agency that has been at the forefront in ensuring that consumers get only quality goods, Kebs is warning that it will not be easy. Aiding the flow of such products are the porous national borders and inadequate capacity to seize, test, and destroy the counterfeits.
It is, therefore, instructive that the bureau has set aside Sh100 million this year to enhance the surveillance and monitoring of fake goods.
Kebs also plans to acquire testing equipment worth Sh299 million. If complemented with the enacting of tough laws, this should go a long way in curbing the dumping of substandard products into our market.
