The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (MITI) has intensified public consultations on Kenya’s first National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS), 2026, after officials met North Rift stakeholders in Eldoret,Wednesday, to gather their views before the policy is presented to Cabinet and Parliament.
The draft NIPPS, if passed into law, will enable the government to harness intellectual property as a core driver for innovation, creativity, market competitiveness, and sustainable economic growth.
Speaking during the forum at homecraft, Eldoret, the Executive Director of the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Dr. Robi King’a, said the exercise is aimed at ensuring the proposed policy reflects the views of Kenyans in line with the constitutional requirement for public participation, before any legislation or policy is adopted.
He noted that intellectual property is a critical driver of economic growth and innovation, adding that the Constitution of Kenya 2010, under Article 40(5), recognises the promotion and protection of intellectual property rights for the first time in the country’s history.
“The Constitution requires the government to promote and protect intellectual property rights. This policy will provide a clear framework on how the government will implement that constitutional obligation while safeguarding the rights of innovators, creators and inventors,” he said.
The ACA Executive Director explained that the policy has been developed jointly by the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry and its affiliated agencies, including the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the Kenya Copyright Board, the Kenya Industrial Property Institute, the National Research Fund and the Kenya National Innovation Agency.
He said the government is collecting public views before preparing the final draft, which will undergo Cabinet approval, before being tabled in Parliament for consideration.
“We are hopeful that by early next year Kenya will, for the first time, have a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Policy in place,” he said.
The public participation forum comes barely a week after the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, working jointly with the National Police Service and other government agencies, impounded nearly 3,500 bags of counterfeit fertiliser in Uasin Gishu County.
Dr. King’a described the seizure as evidence of the growing threat posed by counterfeit agricultural inputs to the country’s food security and farmers’ livelihoods.
“Counterfeit fertiliser directly affects agricultural production because farmers invest heavily expecting quality harvests, only to suffer losses when fake products fail to deliver,” he said.
He warned that criminal networks are increasingly manufacturing counterfeit products locally or smuggling them into the country through unauthorised channels before distributing them in the market.
According to the Authority, the proliferation of fake fertiliser and other counterfeit agricultural products poses a serious risk to national food production and undermines farmers’ incomes.
The ACA boss indicated that they have strengthened surveillance and intelligence gathering through collaboration with law enforcement agencies, regulatory institutions and the media to identify and intercept counterfeit products before they reach consumers.
Dr. King’a further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating counterfeit goods from the Kenyan market, saying authorities will continue conducting intelligence-led operations and enforcing the law against individuals involved in the manufacture, importation and distribution of fake products.
“We will not condone counterfeit trade. Together with our partner agencies, we shall continue applying every available effort to reduce and eventually eliminate counterfeit goods from our markets,” he said.
By Ekuwam Sylvester and Nelson Obwana
