The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has intercepted sugar and cooking oil worth Ksh10 million smuggled from Somalia into Kenya.
In a statement on Thursday, August 21, the Authority confirmed that the goods were seized during a joint operation with a Multi-Agency Team at the Sabaki Security Patrol Point in Malindi. Three trucks were impounded, and eight suspects were arrested.
“The operation led to the seizure of 676 bags of counterfeit sugar branded Butali and other labels, jerricans of cooking oil, and the trucks used in transportation. Eight suspects were arrested and booked at Malindi Police Station,” the ACA said.
ACA Executive Director Mbugua Njoroge warned that such illegal trade undermines Kenya’s economy, endangers public health, and risks fueling organized crime and terrorism.
“Smuggling from Somalia directly undermines Kenya’s revenue base and risks fueling illicit networks that support crime and even terror activities. We will not allow such threats to endanger our people or our markets,” he stressed.
According to Njoroge, counterfeit sugar and oil not only pose health risks to consumers but also threaten the livelihoods of farmers and workers in Kenya’s sugar industry.
The Authority estimates counterfeit goods cost the country over Ksh153 billion annually in lost tax revenue and contribute to the loss of more than 40,000 jobs.
“This seizure is about more than protecting consumers. It is about safeguarding our economy and national security,” Njoroge said.
In the past year alone, ACA has confiscated counterfeit products worth over Ksh500 million and arrested more than 120 suspects. Globally, the OECD estimates counterfeit and pirated goods account for 3.3 percent of world trade, while the UNODC has linked such trade to extremist groups.
The operation comes just days after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested six suspects, including four Kenyans, a Congolese, and a Tanzanian, for allegedly producing counterfeit U.S. dollars in Nairobi.
 has intercepted sugar and cooking oil worth Ksh10 million smuggled from Somalia into Kenya.){kind=link}