Curb increasing sale of counterfeit alcohol

The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has admitted that it lacks the capacity to effectively curb the proliferation of the deadly fake alcoholic drinks. This follows increasing public concern about the grave danger posed to consumers.

According to the agency, 67 per cent of the alcohol being sold in the country today is counterfeit. To make matters worse, the popular brands of some leading manufacturers are being counterfeited to easily lure consumers into buying them.

The ACA says it is hampered by understaffing, underfunding, and a lack of the legal mandate to inspect locally made drinks. The agency has 120 members of staff and only 38 counterfeit goods inspectors to cover the entire country.

Last year alone, the ACA seized counterfeit goods valued at Sh1.45 billion, with alcoholic drinks accounting for Sh400 million. This is, indeed, a lucrative business that continues to endanger consumers’ lives. It is, therefore, working with the major alcohol manufacturers and distributors to detect the fake drinks and arrest the culprits.

Of the fake alcoholic products impounded, 77 per cent were locally manufactured, 15 per cent were imported, and the origin of the eight per cent could not be established. The illicit drinks menace continues to wreck lives.

Last month, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) seized more than 27,000 litres of illegal brews in Nairobi and Kisumu counties. It has already arraigned some suspects.

The dealers in counterfeit alcohol either imitate or unlawfully use protected brands’ labels, caps, seals and bottles to package their potentially lethal concoctions. The illicit drinks include common traditionally fermented or distilled products that are sold without the required licences or legal compliance.

To effectively address the issue of counterfeit alcoholic drinks, the agency is proposing the introduction of an authentication device with a digitally verifiable certification mark. This and any other efforts should be intensified to curb the manufacture and distribution of the deadly alcohol.

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