LODWAR, 27th of Aril 2021; A multi-agency operation comprising of ACA, DCI, KRA, and KEBS officers confiscated 3013 boxes of suspected counterfeit alcoholic beverages of known Kenyan brand worth Kshs 10M in Lodwar in Turkana County. The products were seized from two business entities known as leading conduits and distributors of counterfeit products in the region. The goods were seized in the distributors who are alleged to get supplies from Nairobi before getting to the retail market.

Two suspects were arrested and booked at Lodwar police station and will be arraigned in court upon full investigations. The seized counterfeit products were taken to the Eldoret Counterfeit Depot awaiting appropriate investigations including sample testing to establish their contents.

The Anti-Counterfeit Authority Rift Valley regional head Ms. Elina Mnari said, “this is a breakthrough operation to cut the supply chain of counterfeit alcoholic beverages in the region”. We will expand our operations to all regions across the country.

The multi-agency operation follows government efforts in response to the threat of illicit trade on the economy. The government has put in place a raft of measures aimed at taming counterfeit and other forms of illicit trade including the Presidential Directive that required coordinated efforts of different Government Agencies. The directive led to the formation of the Inter-Agency Anti-Illicit Trade Executive Forum and Technical Working Group (Multi-Agency Team for combating illicit trade) was established through Gazette Notice No.7270 in 2018. The aim was to strengthen interventions towards curbing illicit trade and to facilitate the rapid exchange of information between Agencies and enhance the speed of enforcement.