Gov't returns goods worth Ksh.50 million seized from China Square, says products not fake

The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has allayed fears that the Ksh. 50 million worth of goods seized last week from China Square along Thika Road were counterfeit.

In a statement by ACA’s CEO Robi Mbugua Njoroge on Thursday, the Authority said that a probe into the source of the goods revealed that the products were produced and distributed by the international brand owner, Finder Merchandise.

ACA has thus surrendered back the goods which were confiscated on February 16th 2023.

“We would like to clarify that the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has released the goods that were seized at the China Square worth 50 million shillings. The goods were seized on 16th February 2023 following a complaint received from Smithmo Company Ltd, which suspected the sale of counterfeit Finder Tools within the premises,” read the statement.

“In light of this new information, ACA conducted a thorough investigation and verified the source of the goods, and we can confirm that they are authentic Finder Tools. As such, we have released the goods to the rightful owner.”

According to Njoroge, Smithmo Company Ltd had filed a complaint after suspecting the sale of counterfeit Finder Tools at the premises.

The authority had said in a statement on Tuesday that Smithmo claimed the goods had been branded with "Finder", the registered trademark of M/s Smithmo Company Limited.

 The Anti-Counterfeit Authority has urged the public to be vigilant when purchasing goods and report any cases of counterfeit products in the market.

“We would like to urge members of the public to be vigilant when purchasing goods to avoid falling victim to counterfeit products. We also encourage them to report any suspected cases of counterfeit products to ACA to help protect their rights and interests,” ACA stated.

“We thank the public for their cooperation in this matter, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect consumers from counterfeit goods.”

Kenyan traders on Tuesday held protests in the Nairobi CBD over what they termed as a business takeover by Chinese traders who are selling products at relatively affordable rates.