Counterfeit goods worth Sh7.5bn seized since May

The government has seized contraband and counterfeit goods worth Sh7.5 billion and a total of 179 foreigners arrested and charged in court since the Multi-Agency Committee was formed in May to fight the menace.

During this time, those arrested have either been charged in court, or in the case of foreigners deported, as the government escalates its war against counterfeits.

The committee is the outcome of the Presidential Round Table sessions of May 2018 and was formed to spearhead the war against illicit trade.

It is headed by Deputy Head of Public Service Wanyama Musiambo and draws its membership from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA), National Police Service, Immigration Department, Public Health, Nema, Office of the President and the National Intelligence Service.

ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE

In a report submitted to the Committee on Administration and National Security by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i last week, the committee says it has revamped the Multi-Agency Border Committees, enhanced surveillance at entry and exit points by mounting multi-agency strategic mobile road blocks at the Mombasa port, Shimoni, Moyale, Lunga Lunga, Isebania, Busia and Malaba and a 100 per cent inspection and verification of the cargo moving at all points of entry without a certificate of conformity and cargo arriving through Eldoret Airport.

It has also consolidated cargo arriving through all points of entry.

“The above measures will stop the entry of illicit products into the country,” the report says.

It states that officers found culpable of unethical behaviour have been punished while officers who have served for more than three years at the same border point have been redeployed.

The team is currently carrying out operations aimed at eradicating the illicit trade and has seized illicit products in agriculture and livestock sector estimated at Sh340 million.

INSPECTION FEES

It has also seized beauty and cosmetics estimated at Sh484 million and illicit liquor valued at Sh270 million.

Also seized are counterfeit material used in the building and construction sector (Sh182.6 million), electrical households (Sh299.3 million), foodstuffs/Water (Sh16.3 million), ICT (Sh368,000), leather (Sh36.7 million), motor vehicle parts (Sh10.7 million), oil/gas (Sh1.6 million), sugar (Sh5.3 billion), cigarettes (Sh828 million and textiles (Sh131 million), all totalling to Sh7.5 billion.

The report reveals entrenched disregard for the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) that requires all Kenya-bound goods to be inspected by government-appointed private inspection agencies.

PVoC was hailed as Kenya’s answer to under-declaration and mis-declaration that saw custom earnings rise as prices for genuine goods were used to determine inspection fees pegged at a percentage of the product’s cost.