The way of the sun
The brightness of the sun,
Though it borrows from the rainbow
It surpasses not the radiance of your smile
Nor nears the bright shine of those diamond eyes
Their clarity casts a time spell
And brings my horizon nearer
Turning my tomorrow; today
Like a burning ingot, my heart burns within
Giving flames to my love
Beating to praise thee beloved’
Chariots of love it carries
Lover of thee my knight!
Forget not the mystic rays,
Touching your feet making magnificent Atlas
A valet in disguise, for I ride not in skies
As you my beloved, are, my paradise…
By: jemu90
Saturday, February 12, 2011
CONSUMER RIGHTS LAW
The other day my colleague bought himself a nokia phone, the ones that are on display in almost every electronic shop across Kenya. Going by appearance, the phone surpassed its advertised standards. Loaded with internet, polyphonic ringtones fm radio, Bluetooth, and many other features its label said. Sadly however, that was not what impressed my colleague. The price of this gadget was the bait. The phone with all its supposed features it boasted of coasted only Kshs 2000/.
That should have raised question marks to my colleague as the adage goes, cheap is expensive but what can I say…we are Kenyan and our love for freebies and cheap things is infinite. So you might all guess the sad ending of the story. Yes, you are correct; the phone’s lifespan was shorter than its warranty.
This brings me to the point of discussion on consumer protection law in our country. This is basically about consumer rights. Consumer Law - Consumers are defined as individuals who purchase, use, maintain, and dispose of products and services. Consumers are users of the final product. These individuals are entitled to four basic rights before their purchase of their final product. The right of choice, price, product and the most important one, the right of information.
Consumer rights are now entrenched in the constitution of Kenya. This means that they have been accorded paramount recognition and cannot be denied by anyone. The constitution states that consumers have the right to quality goods and services; they have the right to information so as to gain benefit from goods and services. These rights should be adequate to guarantee protection of health, safety and economic interests. They compensate for loss from defective goods and services and state that consumers have a right to fair, honest and decent advertisements.
From this we expect to see improvement of quality in goods and services, increased competition in the market place, and increasingly sophisticated consumer and a change in advertising strategies. However from statistics of the massive abuse of consumer rights witnessed since the enactment of the new constitution, one cannot be pessimistic to a certain extent. We have witnessed deaths brought about by the local liquor (chang’aa), the entry of massive fake electronic products not to mention the generic prescription drugs entering our country through the black market. Even with the correct institutions such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards fully mandated with the jurisdiction of certifying products before they reach the consumer, there are still so many cases of blatant disregard of the law of concerning rights and protection.
The buck doesn’t stop at placing labels and mentioning the ingredients of the product. The consumer should be fully guaranteed of the safety of the product. A commission charged with Consumer Product safety should be formed. A counter agency that works alongside Kenya bureau of Standards charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. It should be committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The agencies work should be to ensure the safety of consumer products –such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals which have caused a large number of deaths.
Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional protection for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. We should remember however that a good law is as good as nothing if not adhered to.
That should have raised question marks to my colleague as the adage goes, cheap is expensive but what can I say…we are Kenyan and our love for freebies and cheap things is infinite. So you might all guess the sad ending of the story. Yes, you are correct; the phone’s lifespan was shorter than its warranty.
This brings me to the point of discussion on consumer protection law in our country. This is basically about consumer rights. Consumer Law - Consumers are defined as individuals who purchase, use, maintain, and dispose of products and services. Consumers are users of the final product. These individuals are entitled to four basic rights before their purchase of their final product. The right of choice, price, product and the most important one, the right of information.
Consumer rights are now entrenched in the constitution of Kenya. This means that they have been accorded paramount recognition and cannot be denied by anyone. The constitution states that consumers have the right to quality goods and services; they have the right to information so as to gain benefit from goods and services. These rights should be adequate to guarantee protection of health, safety and economic interests. They compensate for loss from defective goods and services and state that consumers have a right to fair, honest and decent advertisements.
From this we expect to see improvement of quality in goods and services, increased competition in the market place, and increasingly sophisticated consumer and a change in advertising strategies. However from statistics of the massive abuse of consumer rights witnessed since the enactment of the new constitution, one cannot be pessimistic to a certain extent. We have witnessed deaths brought about by the local liquor (chang’aa), the entry of massive fake electronic products not to mention the generic prescription drugs entering our country through the black market. Even with the correct institutions such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards fully mandated with the jurisdiction of certifying products before they reach the consumer, there are still so many cases of blatant disregard of the law of concerning rights and protection.
The buck doesn’t stop at placing labels and mentioning the ingredients of the product. The consumer should be fully guaranteed of the safety of the product. A commission charged with Consumer Product safety should be formed. A counter agency that works alongside Kenya bureau of Standards charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. It should be committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The agencies work should be to ensure the safety of consumer products –such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals which have caused a large number of deaths.
Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional protection for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. We should remember however that a good law is as good as nothing if not adhered to.
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