Kiwi shoe polish maker fights counterfeits in Uganda

Sara Lee Limited has introduced special codes in Uganda to help track counterfeit Kiwi shoe polish in the country.

The special codes for manufacturing and production, labelled on the tin, are to be used by customers to call and inquire whether the kiwi shoe polish they have bought is genuine or counterfeit.

Mr Godfrey Jobba, export sales manager says that the programme has been launched in Uganda because competition from counterfeits is rampant, causing them heavy losses.

“We are printing different codes on the sides of the tins of the kiwi shoe polish sold in Uganda. Customers can call a number on our posters and get immediate response whether genuine or fake,” says Mr Jobba.

He says that in the event it is not genuine, the response is sent to the customer and also to the database.

They then call the customer to help them know where the product was sold so that the company can send a team to track the counterfeit goods and destroy them after confiscation.

Mr Jobba however says that in developed countries, those involved in counterfeit production have been difficult to arrest because they destroy all the evidences soon after production.

“In the developed world, some of those in counterfeit open up a factory and produce the required quantity of counterfeit Kiwi shoe polish and then close down immediately. It is therefore not easy to track the source of the goods,” says Mr Jobba.

Mr Jobba however says that the company has been changing tin modification and graphics quite often in an attempt to try and beat competition from counterfeits.

“We have realised that with the regular change of tin shapes and graphics, we have always left counterfeits a step behind.,” says Mr Jobba.