In Kenya, it is now illegal to import mobile phones that do not offer a battery life of at least eight hours talk time or lacks a physical manual. The law is Kenya’s government new plan to curb counterfeits which in the recent past have been on the rise. They find their way into the market through illegal channels and have cost the consumers and government a fortune. It’s Anti-Counterfeit Agency reported that fake goods worth $12million have been sized in the country in the last seven years.
The measure is not only to curb the influx of counterfeit products but also to protect consumers health from phones made with cheap material that exposes them to radiation. According to the Kenyan government;
these laws are set to protect consumers from explosion and radiation caused by phones made with unstable materials such as mercury, arsenic, cobalt, and others
To make sure that original phones only enter the Kenyan market, the notice went on to state that only licensed mobile phone vendors will be allowed to import and distribute mobile phones whose batteries are expected to last a minimum of 24 hours when the gadget is not in use.
This is a good move by the Kenyan government as it protects their citizens from continuously splashing money on foreign firms (which make substandard products) because counterfeit phones are not durable and one is required to buy phones several times a year, spending more than if they had bought a genuine one.
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8 comments
While the move is no doubt with good intentions there is a disturbing line in that ban. Only vendors are now allowed to import mobile phones!!!! That means an end to gray market phones such as those available on Amazon etc.
I disagree they trying their and if I’m Kenya and I buy a I know I’m safe
Why are u saying?
I don’t support any form of ban from governments coz what it leads to is always an opportunity for people in power to manipulate the system in their favour. It wouldn’t be surprising to find that there are already some government officials with cellphone companies awaiting launch soon after the ban is put in place. It’s a fact that phones with higher battery life are generally more pricey than the fake phones meaning that for anyone to be in that business from now on will experience a sharp rise in capital requirements. For such products which do not affect the health or social fibre of a nation I feel the choice should be left to the consumer in the end whether they can afford a high battery life phone or not.
Doesn’t one’s usage determine the amount of power tat a battery can hold within a day??
no
This is a great move by an African country to try and set a high bar on quality of imported goods. It would be great to hear from the CAZ what they are doing to protect Zimbabwean consumers from sub-standard products. It’s not phones alone – TVs, DVD players, Flash drives etc there’s too much junk and trinkets out there!!
Exactly good move. And a well brave move from an African country