The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has introduced a digital security mark aimed at helping consumers identify genuine products and strengthening efforts to curb the circulation of counterfeit goods in the Kenyan market.
The authority said the new Anti-Counterfeit Security Device will serve as a verification tool for consumers, regulators and enforcement officers as counterfeit trade increasingly shifts from traditional markets to digital platforms.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day in Nairobi, ACA Board Chairman Nelson Gaichuhie said the technology-driven solution is intended to improve product authentication and protect consumers from potentially harmful counterfeit products.
“We are introducing the Anti-Counterfeit Security Device as a practical tool to help consumers, enforcement officers and regulators verify whether a product is genuine,” Gaichuhie said.
“This device will make it easier to identify authentic products, strengthen intelligence-led enforcement, and protect Kenyans from counterfeit goods that pose risks to public health and safety.”
He said the authority was responding to increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting networks that continue to infiltrate supply chains and undermine legitimate businesses.
“The mark is not bureaucracy. The mark is a promise to the mother, to the patient, to the farmer and to the driver,” Gaichuhie said.
He added that existing laws and enforcement mechanisms must evolve to keep pace with changing tactics used by counterfeiters.
“We have looked at the law, and the law has not kept pace with the criminal. That is why we must modernise our enforcement tools, strengthen legal safeguards and ensure that counterfeiters bear the full weight of the law,” he said.
ACA Executive Director Mbugua Njoroge said counterfeit trade has increasingly migrated to online platforms, forcing regulators to adopt more advanced enforcement strategies.
“The counterfeit market has evolved from backroom trading to digital platforms and smartphones. Enforcement must therefore evolve with equal speed,” Njoroge said.
He noted that partnerships between regulators, manufacturers and enforcement agencies remain critical in disrupting counterfeit networks.
“The fight against counterfeiting cannot be won in silos. Through joint inspections, joint training and shared intelligence, we are building a stronger enforcement front with our partner agencies,” he said.
During the event, ACA also signed a collaboration agreement with the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM) to strengthen responsible procurement practices and protect supply chains from counterfeit and substandard products.
The authority also signed a memorandum of understanding with REACT, an international anti-counterfeiting organisation with more than three decades of experience combating illicit trade across sectors, including pharmaceuticals, electronics, fashion, tobacco and consumer goods.
KISM Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Matiba said procurement systems remain a critical line of defence against counterfeit products.
“Procurement controls play a significant and strategic role in combating counterfeiting by strengthening supply chain credibility, transparency and accountability,” he said.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers Chief Executive Officer Tobias Alando said counterfeiting continues to threaten legitimate businesses and distort fair competition.
“Counterfeiting undermines legitimate industry, weakens consumer trust and distorts fair competition,” he said.
The World Anti-Counterfeiting Day celebrations were held under the theme “Leveraging Strategic Partnerships to Combat Counterfeiting” and brought together government agencies, manufacturers, procurement professionals, rights holders and development partners to discuss measures aimed at protecting consumers, safeguarding intellectual property rights and promoting legitimate trade.
