Publishers lament increasing book piracy in Nakuru
Chairman Kenya publisher association Mr Kamau Kiarie(in blue ), CEO Kenya Literature Bureau Victor Lomaria (in white ) and other education stakeholders inspect books on display during the launch of three new Kenya Literature Bureau Visionary Encyclopedia for the CBC classes at Nakuru city on June 2, 2022.
Publishers have lamented what they say is an increase in the pirating of books and other learning materials, which are sold to unsuspecting parents and teachers in Nakuru County.
More cases of counterfeit books are being reported in Nakuru, said Kenya Publishers Association chairman Kamau Kiarie.
Speaking in Nakuru during the launch of Kenya Literature Bureau encyclopedias for grades Four, Five and Six, Mr Kamau said counterfeiters take advantage of technology to copy books, selling them at throwaway prices and leaving publishers with losses.
He said pirated works are of poor production quality with questionable content, saying some of the books have missing, illegible or mixed-up pages.
People involved in the illegal trade, he said, sell pirated books through bookshops, street vendors or directly to parents and schools, enticing them with cheaper prices.
“It is exciting to see our books being used in schools, offices, colleges and universities and even in other countries beyond our borders and all over the world,” he said.
“We sell them in hard copy and digital format but the biggest challenge we are facing as publishers is piracy.”
He pleaded with the government to help fight piracy by encouraging teachers, parents and learners to buy books from credible books sellers.
Mr Kamau said that if the trend continues, it would affect the quality of education and publishers will suffer from losses.
Chairman Kenya publisher association Mr Kamau Kiarie(in blue ), CEO Kenya Literature Bureau Victor Lomaria (in white ) and other education stakeholders leaders inspect books on display during the launch of three new Kenya Literature Bureau Visionary Encyclopedia for the CBC classes at Nakuru city on June 2, 2022.
He also urged heads of schools to smoothen the book distribution process by speeding up the receiving of books and signing delivery notes because publishers have tight timelines imposed by the government.
Rift Valley Regional Education Director Jared Obiero pledged that the government would fight piracy by ensuring that only genuine books are sold to schools and parents.
But he called on teachers and parents to desist from purchasing books from the streets and instead get them from authorised booksellers and bookshops. He also urged parents to report suspicious book dealers.
“Piracy kills creativity and development in the publishing sector. We will fully support the sector in ensuring that our schools buy the correct books and also ensure that the rate of piracy is reduced,” said Mr Obiero
Kenya Literature Bureau CEO Victor Lomaria said the launch of three encyclopedia series would help learners in their assessments.
He said the books have 12 subjects combined in one volume and are rich in approach in both formative and summative assessment.
He said the books have question and answer sections that blend well with what the Kenya National Examinations Council is using to assess learners in the CBC grades.
"We have done a lot of research on these products and we were able to note certain gaps in knowledge and skills after interacting with the teachers, pupils and booksellers. The books will help our learners to perform well in their assessment," he said.
