Communications Authority of Kenya in new drive to switch off fake phones trading
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has launched a fresh crackdown on fake phones.
What you need to know:
- The communications watchdog wants to develop a web-based platform that will allow mobile phone users to key in their phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to verify their gadget’s authenticity.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is seeking to build an online platform where Kenyans can verify authenticity of their mobile phones in a fresh crackdown on fakes.
The communications watchdog wants to develop a web-based platform that will allow mobile phone users to key in their phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to verify their gadget’s authenticity.
Fake mobile phones are made by manufacturers who steal the design and trademarks of genuine handsets to hoodwink buyers.
These knockoffs are often cheaper than the genuine phones which makes them especially attractive to cost-conscious buyers, but they often lack some functionalities and features of genuine ones.
“This project aims to provide consumers with an accessible and user-friendly platform to verify the authenticity of their mobile phones. The platform would allow consumers to check the authenticity of their phones using the phone's unique IMEI number regardless of their location or financial status,” CA said in a tender call.
“This would empower consumers to identify fake products, promote the use of genuine mobile phones, and reduce the sale of counterfeit phones in Kenya.”
According to the Authority, between 30 percent to 40 percent of mobile phones in the country are counterfeit. CA says that there were about 64.67 million mobile devices being used in Kenya by September 2023.
This means that between 18.87 million and 25.16 million of these mobile devices are fake.
Counterfeit mobile phones are often distributed through informal channels such as street vendors and nlicensed retailers which are difficult to monitor.
