Anti-Counterfeit Inspectors raided a motor vehicle and engine oil outlet in the Kenya-Uganda border town of Busia and seized counterfeit motor vehicle engine oil that was packaged and ready for sale. The container and their labels were designed to pass off and confuse consumers to buy thinking they belonged to those of a popular motor vehicle engine oil brand. 

Leading the operation, the Anti-Counterfeit Authority Western Kenya Regional Head, Mr. Ibrahim Bulle said they had seized a total of 38 boxes containing 467 pieces of counterfeit TOTAL lubricants worth over KSH 500,000.00 from an outlet named Sonko Auto spares. “We also found other plastic packages and labels of various known brands which we are investigating. Search and investigations are ongoing. The owner identified as a notorious cross-border businessman escaped arrest. 

The raid followed a complaint by TotalEnergies an oil and lubricants company in Kenya about the presence of counterfeit products at the border town. The company preferred enforcement action to defend their brand and interest. The representative said. “We are very thankful to the Anti-Counterfeit Authority who identified the outlet and conducted the raid.”. He added that “These products are made of poor-quality ingredients and don’t comply with the technical specifications. They can damage engines and in extreme cases, they cause explosions, overheating, and even fires”. 

This is not the first raid on counterfeit motor vehicle oil and lubricants by the Authority. “We have had joint operations with the Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA) in Nairobi and also along the Kenya-Uganda border at Lwakhakha, Bungoma in multi-agency operations. We have found counterfeiting of engine oils affecting all leading brand names. We advise buyers, dealers, and stockists to buy genuine goods from appointed distributors and fully fledged petrol stations to avoid falling prey to criminals.”, Mr. Bulle said. 

Estimates by the Anti-Counterfeit Authority on the proportion of counterfeit lubricants being sold in the market are as high as 20 percent. “In the last five years we seized products worth over Sh65 million in different operations in Nairobi and upcountry towns,” said Bulle. This is a big portion of their market share going to the black market.