Counterfeits thrive in Kenya. Unscrupulous businessmen and women have found a market of selling counterfeits, with some being literally poison to Kenyans.
The problem with counterfeits is that it is very difficult to tell them from genuine products. It is more challenging because almost all counterfeits carry a “mark of quality” from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
Here is a list of 30 counterfeits in Kenya that you should watch out:
- Drugs
- Milk
- Meat
- Maize flour
- Eggs
- Alcohol
- Electronics
- Bottled water
- Soft drinks
- Yogurt
- Rice
- Cabbage
- Lotions
- Jelly
- Water paints
- Noodles
- Slimming pills
- Shoes
- Sugar
- Gold
- Fertilizer
- Currency
- Fake certificates
- Fish
- Chicken feed
- Weaves
- Clothes
- Make-up products
- Jewelry
- Utensils (Cooking tins)
Almost everything is counterfeit in Kenya, starting with the leadership itself. The current government, as well as all the legislators, are the most counterfeits Kenya has ever had.
We need some serious changes if this problem of fake goods is to be eliminated. Someone once said that Kenya has great policies, but we lack the right people to implement these policies.
Reasons for the counterfeit influx in Kenya
Some business people are just greedy. They do not care about the effects their products will have on the user, provided they get money out of it.
Corruption among officials at KEBS is the reason Kenyans are dying of poisonous products. How come all these fake goods have KEBS stickers? How come the majority of the counterfeits are imported into the country without officials ‘noticing’?
The Kenya Revenue Authority is another body that is failing Kenyans and the reason for the influx of counterfeits into the country. Some officials are bribed to let the goods pass the borders without paying taxes and without proper checks.
Read:
- Counterfeit Goods Account for 3.3% of World Trade
- More than 70% of Kenyans Use Counterfeit Goods – Smartphones Lead