Kenya has unveiled a major new initiative to curb the growing threat of counterfeit goods, with the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) announcing the rollout of a digital Anti-Counterfeit Security Device that will allow consumers and enforcement officers to verify the authenticity of products in real time.
The announcement was made during the commemoration of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day 2026 at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi, where government officials, industry leaders, development partners and intellectual property experts gathered to discuss emerging threats posed by counterfeit trade.
Speaking during the event, ACA Board Chairman Hon. Nelson Gaichuhie said the Authority was moving decisively to modernize Kenya’s anti-counterfeit regime in response to increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
“Counterfeiting in Kenya has outgrown the law that created this Authority. The law has not kept pace with the criminal. So we will change the law,” said Gaichuhie.
He announced that ACA will operationalize Section 34B of the Anti-Counterfeit Act through the introduction of a tamper-evident, digitally verifiable certification mark to be affixed to designated products before they enter the Kenyan market.
“Today, Section 34B leaves the statute book. It walks onto the factory floor,” he said.
The digital mark will carry a unique identifier that consumers can verify using a smartphone, while enforcement officers will be able to scan products at borders, warehouses and retail outlets. The system will be integrated with ACA’s Anti-Counterfeit Integrated Management System (AIMS) to generate enforcement intelligence in real time.
Gaichuhie said the first phase of implementation will focus on products that directly affect public health and safety, including pharmaceuticals, alcoholic beverages, fertilizers, agrochemicals, cosmetics, food products, bottled water, edible oils, electrical components and automotive safety parts.
“If it can heal you, if it can poison you, if it can feed you, if it can move you — it must carry the mark,” he stated.
The Chairman also announced plans to review the Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2008, to address emerging forms of online and platform-based counterfeit trade, strengthen penalties for offenders and enhance cross-border enforcement mechanisms.
ACA Executive Director Dr. Robi King’a warned that counterfeit and substandard products continue to exact a devastating human and economic toll across Africa and beyond.
“From Banjul to Kiminini, the counterfeit walks. Today, we tell it: walk no further,” he said.
Drawing from international and local case studies, Dr. King’a highlighted deaths linked to contaminated medicines, counterfeit vaccines, fake automotive parts and illicit alcohol. He cited recent findings showing dangerous levels of mercury in some skin-lightening creams sold online in Kenya and noted that illicit alcohol now accounts for an estimated 59 percent of the country’s spirits market.
The Executive Director revealed that ACA had seized counterfeit goods worth more than KES 500 million in the first three quarters of the current financial year.
“More than thirty percent of counterfeit transactions in Kenya now happen online. The fake market has moved from the back-room to the smartphone — and so must our enforcement,” he said.
Dr. King’a also noted that Kenya’s growing leadership in intellectual property enforcement had earned international recognition after the Authority was elected Vice-Chair of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Advisory Committee on Enforcement.
“Kenya’s anti-counterfeit story is no longer told by others about us. It is being told by us, to the world,” he said.
The Authority called on government agencies, Parliament, manufacturers and brand owners to support the rollout of the security device and ongoing legislative reforms, describing the initiative as a critical step toward protecting consumers, safeguarding legitimate businesses and strengthening confidence in Kenya’s marketplace.
The rollout of the Anti-Counterfeit Security Device is expected to begin through a phased implementation process involving consultations with industry stakeholders and partner regulators.
