ACA Executive Director Mbugua Njoroge peaking during a public participation forum on the Draft National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) 2026 in Eldoret on July 29, 2026/ HANDOUTKenya is on course to adopt its first National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy by early next year, marking a major milestone in the country's efforts to protect innovation, brands, inventions and creative works.
The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) said the policy is currently undergoing public participation before being submitted to the Cabinet and later Parliament for approval.
Speaking during a public participation forum on the Draft National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) 2026 in Eldoret, ACA Executive Director Mbugua Njoroge said the government was optimistic that the country would have its first intellectual property policy in place by early 2027.
"We are here to receive the views. We are here to receive the input of members of the public before the final draft is submitted to the Cabinet and Parliament for enactment. We are hopeful that by early next year we should have a policy in place because it has to be subjected to a number of processes through the Cabinet, parliamentary committees and Parliament. We are hopeful that by early next year, for the first time, the country is going to have an intellectual property policy," he said.
The policy is expected to provide a national framework for protecting and commercialising intellectual property, including inventions, trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights, innovations and other creative assets.
Earlier, while opening the forum, Mbugua said the consultations were intended to ensure the policy reflects the views of Kenyans.
"This forum belongs to the people of this region, not to us. We have not come here to lecture—we have come to listen, because the strength of this policy depends entirely on what the people of Uasin Gishu, Turkana, West Pokot, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet tell us today," he said.
He added that Eldoret's global reputation as the "City of Champions" demonstrated the value of intellectual property beyond inventions alone.
"Eldoret is known globally as the City of Champions. That reputation is itself a form of intellectual property, and a national policy that does not protect it is incomplete," he said.
The public participation exercise brought together representatives from Uasin Gishu, Turkana, West Pokot, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, alongside officials from the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA), the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) and the National Research Fund (NRF).
Mbugua also linked the proposed policy to the fight against counterfeit goods, saying fake products continue to threaten businesses, consumers and key sectors of the economy.
He revealed that last weekend, authorities seized nearly 3,500 bags of suspected counterfeit fertiliser in Uasin Gishu County during a joint operation involving the police and other government agencies.
"Last weekend, in conjunction with the police and other government agencies, we were able to seize close to 3,500 bags of fake fertiliser here in Uasin Gishu. This speaks directly to the impact of having fake fertiliser on our agricultural production because the moment we have fake fertiliser, it affects our harvest and farmers who have invested heavily," he said.
According to Mbugua, criminal networks continue to manufacture or smuggle counterfeit agricultural products into the country through unauthorised entry routes, posing a threat to food production and food security.
He said the government has strengthened intelligence gathering and enforcement mechanisms to intercept counterfeit goods before they reach consumers.
The ACA boss also urged consumers to remain vigilant when purchasing products, saying unusually low prices and purchases from unauthorised dealers are common warning signs of counterfeit goods.
"We may not say consumers have adequate information to distinguish counterfeit products because counterfeiters keep improving their imitations. But one great differentiator could be the price. If a product that normally sells for Sh10,000 is being sold for Sh1,000, the first question should be whether it is genuine or fake," he said.
He added that reducing demand for counterfeit products would help weaken the illegal trade.
"If we deprive counterfeiters of the market, then that is one way of dealing with counterfeiting because once they do not have a market, their industry is not going to thrive," Mbugua said.
