Anti-counterfeit agency accuses Murugi of blocking crackdown on fake clothes
Shoppers walk past closed shops selling clothes and footwear in Nyeri Town on February 22, 2017. Traders shut their shops after learning of a planned crackdown by anti-counterfeit agency officials. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Adera said on two occasions, the MP has intervened asking its officials not to prosecute the traders.
- A scuffle ensued on Tuesday at the Garissa shopping complex in the town after the agency raided the shops.
- A source from the DCI, who declined to be named, said agents had to call off the operation after Ms Murugi intervened.
- The agency was tracking counterfeited men’s wear bearing the Jeep clothing line label.
Officials of the Anti-Counterfeit Agency have clashed with Nyeri Town MP Esther Murugi over a crackdown on fake clothes, with the organisation accusing the leader of intimidating its officers.
The agency’s deputy director of enforcement, Johnson Adera, said local leaders are interfering with its work and hindering efforts to clamp down on traders selling fake goods.
Mr Adera told the Nation by phone that twice, the agency has raided shops selling fake men’s wear in Nyeri Town and twice, the MP has intervened asking its officials not to prosecute the traders.
“There is a lot of interference from the area MP which we will not condone. She can intimidate our officers but we have to carry out our mandate,” he said.
This came after a scuffle erupted on Tuesday at the Garissa shopping complex in the town when the agency raided shops there.
ASKED FOR IDS
According to the shop owners, the men did not show any identification documents but directly went on to pick up shoes from the stands saying they were looking for fake goods.
“When asked, they said they are experts and knew what they were looking for,” said Hassan Isak, one of the traders.
A brief confrontation ensued and the men, who were later identified to be two ACA agents and two officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), left the premises to escape from the irate dealers and sought refuge at the Nyeri Central Police Station.
A source from the DCI, who declined to be named, said the agents had to call off the operation after Ms Murugi intervened.
“You know when powerful people start interfering things become complicated,” said the source.
This was not the first time the shops have been raided. The agency carried out a similar operation in 2016 and confiscated 57 pairs of trousers valued at over Sh80,000.
Police officers said the agency was tracking counterfeited men’s wear bearing the Jeep clothing line label.
