The Anti-Counterfeit-Authority (ACA) has assured Kenyan manufacturers of support by providing free registration through the integration of intellectual property rights recordation systems in a bid to promote local brands.
Speaking to the press at a hotel in Nairobi Monday, the chairperson of ACA Flora Mutahi promised to integrate intellectual property rights recordation systems into integrated systems.
Mutahi recognized the recordation system that is globally used in the United States of America, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates and that was adopted by South Africa, Mauritius and Algeria saying that it helps in recording and protecting everybody’s intellectual property from counterfeit.
She further stated that the system bars unregistered importers from importing their goods into the country and is a great tool that helps curb counterfeit goods.
“In the last four years we have been working on a system to reduce counterfeit in the market and we have adopted a recordation system to help us in the fight of counterfeit goods which will be effective from January 2023,” said Mutahi.
The chairperson said that 70 or 80 per cent of imported goods are counterfeit, adding that recordation will help check genuine goods as the database will have a record of registered importers of goods.
Mutahi stated that local manufacturers will enjoy free registration on the recordation system unlike importers who will have to pay registration fee in order to import goods into the country.
“We have partnered with KenTrade who will assist in the pre-importation by giving registered importers permission to import their goods,” added Mutahi.
She stated that ACA aims at helping the government to avoid counterfeit goods, citing the one billion increases in imported counterfeit goods that rose from 726 billion to 826 billion between 2018 and 2019.
At the same time, Anthony Mwangi, the Chief Executive Officer for Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) thanked ACA for their bold move in supporting locally made products which he insisted will increase local production on goods.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS), Lt. Col. (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini urged local manufacturers to create high quality products in order to increase the local market, add value and attract companies who want to come to Kenya to do business.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer for Ken Trade Mr. David Ngarama assured ACA of their support adding that KenTrade already automated their systems.
By Emmanuel Kipkoech and Ella Elizabeth
