Mombasa, 9th November 2020

The Anti-Counterfeit Authority in its unrelenting enforcement efforts have again destroyed counterfeit goods worth Kshs 100 million at the Saimbot Destruction site in Changamwe, Mombasa County. The event was witnessed by anti-illicit multi-agency enforcement teams comprising government agencies and intellectual property owners as well as the media.

Speaking during the exercise, the Chairperson of Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Florah Mutahi said among the counterfeits destroyed included goods meant for the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, valued at Kshs. 25 million confiscated from unscrupulous traders.

Speaking further, Mutahi emphasized the fact that the Authority would not tolerate the sale of counterfeit products which she said posed a lot of danger to the health and safety of people. She called on all Kenyans to endeavor to report suspected cases of counterfeit products so that appropriate actions would be taken by government agencies.

She observed that the destruction exercise was a public event to send a strong warning of zero tolerance to perpetrators of counterfeits and illicit trader.

“We are here to make sure the goods that have been condemned as counterfeits are destroyed in an environmentally safe destruction unit, where they destroy all counterfeits following all the environmental regulations to make sure Kenya remains counterfeits free,” said Mutahi.

The Chair said manufacturing which is one of the Big Four agendas is supposed to contribute 15 percent of the country’s GDP, noting the unfortunate trend would make it impossible to achieve this government agenda.

She added that the government is serious about manufacturing, thus the push to have zero tolerance to counterfeits to discourage the illegal trade and to ensure it doesn’t happen. Mutahi said that ACA wants to send the right message out there that Kenya has both legal and institutional frameworks to fight counterfeits and hence a conducive investment environment.

The destruction comes after the recent launch of the first National Baseline Survey on Counterfeiting and other forms of Illicit Trade in Kenya. From the statistics of the survey, the national total size of illicit trade in 2018 was estimated at KES 826 billion and rose by 14% from KES 726 billion recorded in 2017. The significance of this level of illicit trade is illustrated by its share in GDP, which in 2017 and 2018 was 8.9% and 9.3% respectively. This is slightly higher than the contribution of the manufacturing sector in the GDP which in 2018 was at 7.7%.

''With increased investment, Kenya will definitely have a more vibrant and strongly growing economy, employment, and development. We also want to send a stern warning to counterfeiters to cease and desist from trade in counterfeit,'' she added

Also present at the exercise was the Coast Regional Commissioner, John Elungata was optimistic about ACA and the multi-agency efforts in the war against counterfeit goods. He praised efforts by the multi-agency and security agencies in the coast region for their commitment towards eliminating the importation of counterfeits through the borders and the ports.

“Kenya should not be the home of the people who steal other people’s intellectual property, giving the country a bad name and destroying the economy of the producing countries as well as our own economy,” he lamented.

He said the multi-agency coordinated by Deputy Head of Public Service Wanyama Musiambo, who was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta is geared towards eliminating all counterfeit goods and illicit trade in the country and no one would be spared irrespective of class in the society. #Ends