Officers drawn from the Anti-Counterfeit Agency(ACA) have shut down a home baking flour factory in Runyes, Embu county.
This is after the officers busted the factory manufacturing counterfeit home baking flour.
During the incident, ACA impounded 25 tonnes of the counterfeit flour and 23,500 packaging material, both worth over Sh10 million.
According to Chief Inspector Daar Bulle from the agency, two suspects including the owner of the factory were arrested during the operation.
They are accused of using Golden Ngano trademark – registered by Uzuri K Ltd – to package their counterfeit flour.
The two are expected to be arraigned in court to answer charges in relation to manufacturing counterfeit goods.
In addition, the two are facing charges related to public health offences.
“The accused will be charged with counterfeiting offenses. They are using Golden Ngano trademark registered and owned by Uzuri K Ltd to package the cooking flour. They are depriving Uzuri Ltd their valuable and hard-earned intellectual property, market share and sales,” explained Chief Inspector Daar Bulle.
“The illegal manufacturing of counterfeit goods poses a real threat to honest businesses, and exposes consumers to health and safety risks as they are manufacturing in very unhygienic premises.”
Read:Kebs To Blame Over Influx Of Contraband Goods For Fake Quality Stickers
Bulle affirmed that the government is keen in tracking down people engaged in producing counterfeit products in violation of the law.
“We are working with other law enforcement partners and committed to making this country a counterfeit-free country. This investigation exposed the national nature of counterfeiting. They have now migrated into the rural areas where they think they cannot be caught. Counterfeit goods are now manufactured in the rural towns and are intended to make its way into the urban markets and into the hands of unsuspecting consumers,” he said.
In the last six months the government has seized goods worth over Sh8.5 billion contravening set standards.
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