Browsing: Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA)

• Shipping agents are not allowing cargo to Kenya as they avoid having goods getting stuck at points of entry, says a mobile importer in Nairobi.
• Kenya Revenue Authority is increasingly tightening checks at ports of entry to eliminate under declaration and concealment, which deny the country taxes.
• On average device shipment went down by about 13.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Kenya is hurtling into a severe shortage of smartphones as new tax measures and import regulations pile pressure on traders who have cut on shipments. Traders are projecting that the shortage of smartphones could push up the price of the gadgets by about 40 per cent.

The move follows a decision by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to plug loopholes used by traders to under declare or conceal the value of gadgets in turn denying the government revenues.

Alice, an importer and dealer within Nairobi’s Central …

• Price point remains a key magnet for fakes across East Africa. Counterfeit products are often cheaper than their genuine counterparts, making them easy picks for people shopping for a bargain.
• Some of the most counterfeited products in the region include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, electronics, cosmetics, alcohol, and cigarettes.
• According to the East African Business Council, counterfeit products, primarily fast-moving consumer goods, are costing East African states between US$500 million and US$1 billion per year.

Counterfeiting sticks like a sore thump or a bad hangover causing a big headache for governments and policymakers across East Africa as rising number of products including pesticides, cigarettes, and alcohol become deeply affected by the menace.

Some of the most counterfeited products in the region include pharmaceuticals, electronics, cosmetics, liquor, and cigarettes. Other products that are often counterfeited are clothing, shoes, and accessories, as well as automobile parts such as batteries.

The illegal trade of …

• The country is considered East Africa’s strongest economy.
• It is among countries facing a huge challenge of illicit trade, estimated to be valued at above USD6.34 billion (Ksh800 billion).
• According to official government data, up to 70% of imported goods are counterfeits.

Kenya has a domestic market of over 50 million people and is among the leading economies in sub-Saharan Africa.

The country is considered East Africa’s strongest economy, with the region having a GDP of about USD163.4 billion (at purchasing power parity, about USD$473 billion), and the average GDP per capita is about USD941 (at purchasing power parity, $2,722).

In addition to the EAC market, investors in the partner States have access to other African markets such as COMESA, SADC and AfCFTA, as well as international markets through preferential trade arrangements.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) comprises 21 Member States with a population of 560 …

The Kenyan government has renewed its efforts to fight counterfeit goods and infringement of intellectual property, as counterfeiters continue to pose a threat to local manufacturers and traders.

In a new move, the country’s anti-counterfeit laws have been amended, putting in place new measures that will help fight the vice which takes up to USD300 million of local manufacturers’ market share annually, with the government loses USD80 million as potential tax revenue.

READ:Shocking counterfeit headaches crippling Kenya’s manufacturing sector

The State is also targeting proceeds of counterfeit trade mainly property, with top businessmen, politicians and high-net individuals being among the biggest perpetrators who could cross swords with the authority.

The Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2008 (amended) now extends the counterfeiting scope to include goods counterfeited outside Kenya, allowing for their impoundment.

This means that the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), formerly the Anti-Counterfeit Agency, now has the power to impound items counterfeited outside …