Kenya exercises power to deal with substandard batteries

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reports that the Ministry of Industrialization has yet again banned sales of sub-standard dry cell batteries in the local market. Eveready Batteries has also been ordered to improve the production standards for its dry cell batteries in order to remain relevant in a competitive market. Apparently some 37 brands of substandard batteries are currently on sale; these can easily explode, causing harm to unsuspecting users.

The situation is quite complicated. It seems that, while some of the substandard batteries are counterfeits, others are made by small companies that have difficulties in meeting manufacturing standards. An anti-counterfeit agency has been established in accordance with the recently passed Anti Counterfeits Act, but presumably this will be of little assistance in dealing with genuine but poor-quality goods.