Watch Uhuru destroying 179 contraband cars worth Sh71 million – PHOTOS & VIDEO
On Friday, in what was reminiscent of Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte action early last month of overseeing the destruction of over US$5 million worth of luxury cars, President Uhuru Kenyatta likewise torched illicit goods worth Sh1.5 billion.
The President also watched as bulldozers crush 179 contraband vehicles among them top of the range Mercedes Benz, Range Rovers and Land Rovers.
The 179 vehicles alone were worth Sh71 million.
“This must stop. It has come a time when this must end. We cannot continue allowing a few greedy individuals to continue destroying the jobs of our youth and the efforts of our farmers through illicit imports” President Kenyatta said before torching the goods.
Other illicit goods that were destroyed included fake electronics, assorted pharmaceuticals and juices, laboratory equipment, motor vehicle spare parts, construction materials, alcoholic drinks, counterfeit cigarettes, saving bulbs, fake visa cards, 124 bags of sugar, 188 bags of rice, cooking oils and sex toys.
COUNTERFEIT GOOD
The illicit good were seized by anti-counterfeit multi Agency crack team that included police officers, the Kenya Revenue Authority officers and Kenya Bureau of Standard officials.
The team was constituted in May this year with an express mandate from the Head of State to deal firmly with the challenge of illicit trade in the country.
So far the team has been able to nab and destroy contraband goods worth over Sh7.4 billion.