Nairobi: The crackdown on fake products in Kenya is likely to intensify in the coming weeks as more than a dozen multinational corporations hold training on brand identification. The three-day Product Knowledge and Brand Identification Training, organised by the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) at Panari Hotel, in collaboration with 14 leading brands, will mark the start of World Anti-Counterfeiting Week. During day one of the training, leading brands including Puma, Chanel, Dell, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Nivea, Apple, Colgate Palmolive, Bayer, Unilever, Haleon HealthPartner, Niterra, Beiersdorf and Spinners & Spinners took officers through product identification sessions. The session brought together customs officials, regulators, brand protection experts, and intellectual property lawyers for hands-on identification drills.
This broad participation reflects the multi-agency nature of the fight against counterfeiting and the need for close collaboration between detectives, investigators, regulatory agencies and prosecutors. The team observed that counterfeit trade costs manufacturers and legitimate importers billions of shillings annually while depriving the government of customs and tax revenues. “By bringing these stakeholders together, the training creates a practical platform for sharing technical knowledge, strengthening product authentication skills, improving coordination and enhancing the overall effectiveness of anti-counterfeit enforcement across Kenya’s borders and markets,” the authority stated.
ACA executive director Mbugua Njoroge stressed that enforcement must evolve alongside sophisticated counterfeit networks, adding that anti-counterfeit officers must be equipped with the right knowledge, tools and scientific capacity to detect counterfeit goods and support evidence-based enforcement. Also in attendance were Anti-Counterfeit Authority board chairman Nelson Gaichuhie and Trade minister Gregor Schneider from the Delegation of the European Union to Ghana.
