This archive report was first published on 4 October 2021.
Kenya's government has launched a crackdown on contraband goods, warning smugglers that stern action will be taken against them.
On October 4, 2021, Garissa County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich witnessed the destruction of contraband goods, including milk powder seized in Garissa while on transit to Nairobi.
The consignment, valued at Sh 156,000, is suspected to have been imported from neighboring Somalia.
Cherutich emphasized that the government will not tolerate the smuggling of contraband goods, which creates unnecessary competition in the market and poses a risk to public health.
“We want to caution the few individuals who are still involved in this kind of illegal business that we are not going to tolerate this. Some of these products are not even fit for human consumption,” Cherutich said.
The county commissioner also commended security officers for their efforts in seizing the contraband goods and urged them to continue working round the clock to prevent such goods from entering the Kenyan market.
Cherutich was accompanied by officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards, KRA, customs, and other state agencies, who pledged to work closely to ensure that substandard products do not find their way into the country.
