Anti-Counterfeit authority has seized Sh50 million China Square Mall goods after conducting an inspection.
The authority Tuesday through a statement said they received a formal complaint regarding “Finder branded tools” from M/s Smithmo Company Limited.
“In response, the Authority Enforcement Directorate acted promptly on the complaint and conducted an inspection on February 16, 2023, at the China Square Mall, leading to the in-situ seizures of goods with an approximate value of Sh50 million, which included hardware materials and tools owned by the brand owner,” Anti-Counterfeit CEO Dr. Robi Njoroge Mbugua stated.
China Square, which was making Sh10 million daily dived into a quagmire after Trade CS Moses Kuria asked the Kenyatta University vice-chancellor to buy out Lei’s lease and hand it over to the Gikomba, Nyamakima, Muthurwa, and Eastleigh traders and potentially edge out the Chinese businessman.
This led to the closure of the store till further notice.
On Monday, Lei in an interview said that he is not even sure when he will reopen his business because the government, through the Anti-Counterfeit Agency, said it was investigating China Square over non-compliance after one of the suppliers complained about fakes.
“We have an active case that we are investigating against China Square after a Chinese manufacturing company called Finder claimed that their products had been counterfeited by China Square and that they have infringed on their intellectual property,” said Tom Indimuli, the communications manager at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency said in an interview on Monday.
“Finder issue was resolved by the Finder brand company in China. It was just some misunderstanding. The complainant also submitted a document to anti-counterfeit to withdraw the case,” Lei said.
Tuesday, a section of Nyamakima and Kigomba traders staged a protest at DP Gachagua’s office over the store.
Mbugua said the authority remains committed to fulfilling its mandate of protecting intellectual property rights and promoting fair trade practices in the country.
“The recent seizure of “Finder branded tools” is a clear demonstration of authority’s efforts to curb counterfeiting and piracy, and to ensure the intellectual property rights of individuals and entities are respected and protected,” he said.
