Govt destroys Ksh 50M worth of counterfeit cigarettes

The government on Friday pledged to substantially fund its anti-counterfeits and intellectual property agencies to bolster the fight against counterfeit goods.

Speaking after overseeing the destruction of counterfeit cigarettes worth 50 million shillings during the fifth Annual World Anti-Counterfeits Day celebrations held in Mombasa, Industrialization and Enterprise Development Principal Secretary Dr. Wilson Songa said fighting the scourge will require greater enforcement measures and higher prohibitive penalties.

“Counterfeiting is a parallel economy outside the realm of commercial and fiscal ‘normality’. It must, therefore, be prohibited locally and globally in order to create the optimum conditions for securing production, fiscal revenue, employment and investments,” said Dr Songa.

Dr. Songa further affirmed that eradication of counterfeit goods is high on the government’s business reforms agenda.

The PS is now calling upon Kenyans to be vigilant and enhance patriotism by sharing information with enforcement agencies on counterfeits in a bid to curb this vice.