Seven Arrested Over Ksh100 Million Counterfeit Cooking Oil Scandal

Seven individuals have been arrested, while four others are being pursued in connection with the processing of counterfeit cooking oil at Shimanzi in Mombasa County.
The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) said it had seized documents and property worth more than Ksh100 million during the raid.
The seizure was part of an ongoing larger crackdown by the authority to combat the production and distribution of counterfeit goods that pose a risk to public health and the economy.
According to the ACA Director of Enforcement, Yusuf Ahmed, the suspects were illegally using 13 local cooking oil brands at a yard that had been converted from handling sludge from ships into a counterfeit oil factory.
“We have arrested seven people, and we are following leads that may lead to the arrest of four others,” he said.
A multi-agency team, which included officers from the Anti-Corruption Authority (ACA) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), raided the yard on Sunday, where they found 13 tankers that had been used to smuggle oil to the facility.
The agency stated that they also discovered several metallic drums filled with dirty oil, as well as structures used in processing.
According to Ahmed, samples of the oil were taken for testing to determine their safety, adding that receipts, invoices, and vouchers collected from the premises will help trace the owners and distribution network.
ACA noted that it is targeting wholesalers believed to have distributed the counterfeit oil to local markets.
The authority is also collaborating with companies whose brands were used illegally to protect their patent rights.
Ahmed said that this operation forms part of a broader effort to protect public health and warned those involved in similar activities to cease them.
“We want Kenyans to be aware of the safety of the cooking oil they consume and report suspicious products,” he said.