Government doing little on fake phones

The government has lost the war on counterfeit phones, even as the country’s poor have been left out of smartphone ownership. The revelation came yesterday as Kenya celebrated the World Consumer Rights Day, on the theme, “Trusted Smart Products”.

A survey by Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) found that majority of Kenyans are increasingly vulnerable to fake smartphone dealers, most of whom have now taken to online platforms to ply their trade.

“On the issue of counterfeits, we sought to find out whether the government is doing enough to protect them (consumers) from faulty or fake phones, and 77 per cent responded in the negative,” revealed the Consumer Perception Survey on Smartphones carried out among 500 Kenyans on March 11 and 12.

“And given that most counterfeit phones are sold online, most Kenyans are not securing value for their money,” it adds.