Following a Government directive to switch off all the counterfeit phones by 30th September 2012, most phone dealers in Kiambu town have embarked on a disposal exercise in a bid to clear their shelves of the illegal technology..
Speaking to KNA from his phone shop, “cheap phone center” in Kiambu town, Mr. Dan Kibe confessed that most dealers had been forced into the sale of the counterfeit phones by the customers who were demanding.
Interestingly, the dealer said that ever since he started his business way back in 2002, he had witnessed a lot of fake mobile phones penetrating in the Kenyan markets and Africa at large. He said that many unsuspecting Kenyans had fallen for the trap without knowing.
Mr. Kibe pointed out that with the fast developing of information superhighway in this 21st century there had been high demand for mobile phones as everyone wants to go digital. He added that when people went to buy phones, they always dictated on how it should look like and the features it should have.
He observed that a client would go and ask a phone dealer for a phone which is internet enabled, has a high mega pixel camera and has touch pads and it should only be sh. 3,000.
“This many a times leaves the dealers with no choice but to sell the counterfeit mobile phones, said the phone dealer.
He added that the demand by such a customer with the mentioned features would definitely go for more than sh. 10,000, but he was not willing to pay the amount which he felt was expensive.
When asked how he has dealt with the issue of the fake phones, Mr. Kibe asserted that indeed it had been a challenge to his business as initially he had only transacted business with original and genuine phones.
He however noted with concern that and since the original phones were expensive, most people had opted for cheaper phones; the china made phones which have been dubbed the counterfeit phones was a solution to enable them continue to sell.
He however said that all the fake phones that had come his way he had assembled them and only last week a bag weighing 56 kg of the said fake phones had been collected by Nokia Phone Company from his shop and took them for disposal.
He cited that the government action for switching off the counterfeit phones as a move towards the right direction but added that the action should have been taken long ago since the business of fake phones had been going on for quiet some time now. He also urged the government to regulate exhibition licenses of mobile phones.
Mr. Kibe cautioned people buying phones to be vigilant and demand for quality. He said that they should know that everything was original but not genuine and therefore to check if the phones are genuine and not if they are original.
It should be noted that the registered phone companies in Kenya recognized by the communications commission of Kenya (CCK) are Nokia from Finland, Samsung from Korea, Alcatel from China, Techno and Motorola. It is also worth to know that china manufactures the most expensive and genuine I phone in the world and therefore it is wrong to say that all phones made in china are counterfeit.
Ends
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