NAIROBI, 15 June 2026 — The Chairperson of the Board of the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Hon. Nelson Gaichuhie, EGH, today officially opened the 2026 Product Knowledge and Brand Identification Training at Panari Hotel, Nairobi, marking the beginning of activities lined up to commemorate World Anti-Counterfeiting Week.

The three-day training brings together enforcement officers, customs officials, regulators, brand owners and intellectual property experts to strengthen practical skills in identifying genuine and counterfeit products. It will be followed midweek by the Authority’s flagship commemoration of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day.

The value of the training lies in its hands-on approach. Over the three days, brand owners are sharing product knowledge directly with the officers responsible for policing Kenya’s borders and markets. Through practical demonstrations, officers are interacting with genuine products and learning the key features that distinguish authentic goods from counterfeits.

Leading global and regional companies, including PUMA, Chanel, Dell, Procter & Gamble, Samsung East Africa, Nivea, Apple, Colgate-Palmolive, Bayer, Unilever, Haleon, Niterra, Beiersdorf and Spinners & Spinners, together with intellectual property firms Spoor & Fisher and Adams & Adams, are leading sessions aimed at improving product authentication and brand identification.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, ACA Executive Director/CEO Dr. Robi M. King’a emphasized the importance of equipping officers with the knowledge and tools required to detect counterfeit goods. He noted that enforcement officers are at the front line in the fight against counterfeiting, adding that they “cannot stop what they cannot see, and they cannot prove what they cannot identify.”

Dr. King’a described counterfeiting as a serious threat to consumers, legitimate businesses and the State. He said consumers suffer when they unknowingly purchase unsafe or substandard goods, businesses lose revenue and reputation after investing in quality products, while the Government loses critical revenue needed for national development.

He further highlighted the Board’s priority of establishing a dedicated National Anti-Counterfeit Forensic Laboratory, noting that counterfeiters have become increasingly sophisticated. Dr. King’a said the Authority requires scientific capacity to support investigations, produce evidence that can stand in court, shorten investigation timelines and position Kenya as a regional leader in anti-counterfeit enforcement.

In his official opening remarks, Hon. Gaichuhie said counterfeiting is neither a small problem nor a victimless crime. Citing the Authority’s national baseline survey, which valued illicit trade at over one hundred billion shillings, equivalent to about 9.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product, he reminded delegates that “you cannot fight what you cannot recognise.”

The Chairperson also addressed recent public interest in the Authority’s enforcement operations, reaffirming that ACA does not target small traders but counterfeit goods wherever they are found and whoever is selling them. He underscored the Board’s commitment to firm, fair, intelligence-led enforcement that respects due process while protecting consumers, legitimate trade and government revenue.

The week’s activities will culminate on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, when the Authority commemorates World Anti-Counterfeiting Day at Panari Hotel. The event will also feature the launch of the public participation process for Kenya’s draft National Intellectual Property Policy. The Authority will also use the week to build momentum towards the third International Symposium on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement (ISIPPE 2026) scheduled for October.

The training also featured remarks by Mr. Gregor Schneider, Minister Counsellor – Trade and Intellectual Property in Africa, Delegation of the European Union to Ghana, who underscored the importance of international cooperation, capacity building and shared intelligence in combating sophisticated and transnational counterfeit networks.