CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE AFRICA ISSUE 0024 | Page 32
CONSUMER WATCH
COFEK sounds alarm over rampant circulation of counterfeit goods in Kenyan supermarkets
By Jared Opiyo and Sources
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onsumer protection umbrella body, Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) has raised the red flag over increased availability of dangerous counterfeit fast-moving goods on supermarket shelves. Cofek blames lack of political goodwill and reluctance by manufacturers to address the souring situation. Investigations by the Corporate Intelligence Africa magazine revealed that the manufacturers have resolved to remain silent as their brands are counterfeited for fear of consumer boycott. Worse still, unscrupulous manufacturers of some major brands have fueled the situation by churning out fake and counterfeits to benefit from the huge consumer fake market owing to lower pricing. Cofek has also hit out at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and Anti-Counterfeiting Agency (ACA) for deliberately sleeping on the job as they no longer carry out any meaningful mystery inspection. The lobby accused Kebs and ACA officials of turning their positions into a money minting platforms by turning a blind eye to counterfeit goods menace. “We have continued to receive complaints where Kebs officers for instance in Kisumu, work in cahoots with traders to protect wrongdoers at the expense of the consumer interest. We have since passed the information to the gov-
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