Online firms targeted in war against fake goods

Some of the Counterfeit products that are being held at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency godown in Industrial Area, Nairobi. (Photo:Boniface Okendo)

NAIROBI, KENYA: Anti-counterfeit operatives have now shifted their focus to online shopping firms which they say contribute to a bulk of Kenya’s fake consumer products mainly used in households.

The Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) has started preparing for raids targeting online suppliers in the country.

The agency says that most household items sold by the virtual shopping websites such as electronics, cosmetics, cigarettes and alcoholic drinks are counterfeits.

“Last week we started a fresh crackdown on online counterfeiters and we are going to escalate the war,” said ACA Chief Officer public communication Tom Muteti.

A recent seizure of Sh1.2 billion contraband by a Government multi-agency team fighting contraband showed that majority were electronic items, bulbs, tv decoders and extension cables.

However, Deputy Head of public service Wanyama Musiambo, who is leading the multi-agency team, warned against the alarmist view currently among Kenyans that everything was fake.

"No, no. It's not that everything is fake. Let us also not be alarmists," he told the Standard on phone.

A survey conducted earlier this year by ACA in Nairobi and Mombasa drew a sharp link between the rise of online shopping and a rise in the sale of counterfeit goods.

The survey showed that most popular counterfeit products sold virtually were electrical goods followed by clothing, cosmetics, stationery, food products, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.

“This can be found particularly in relation to the open internet trade platforms. Consumers can purchase products from all over the world and have them delivered straight to their doors with just the click of a button,” said the survey.

Muteti said that the agency had strengthened the fight on online counterfeiters by dedicating staff with a sole purpose of weeding out websites linked to selling fake stuff.

“We have two guys, an IT expert and a forensic expert and we net online counterfeiters through complaints given by consumers,” he said.