KSh5.5 million pirated textbooks seized in Nairobi
By KBC Reporters
The Kenya Publishers Association has unearthed a syndicate in which traders are selling pirated school books causing the industry losses estimated at 5.5 million shillings.
One person was arrested and 10, 342 illegal books confisticated during the crackdown at Nairobi’s Nyamakima.
The association that led the crackdown cautioned buyers against purchasing books with poor print quality, missing and mixed up pages, poor biding, scanning errors and old edition syllabus encased in current editions.
The publishers say piracy is hurting the publishing industry and misinforming students who use the books in schools calling for stiffer penalties to offenders.
The publishers are now asking learning institutions to ensure they purchase school set books with check tags which are an indication of their authenticity
Most of the pirated textbooks are alleged to have been printed in India.
Publishers are now calling on the Kenya revenue authority to crack the whip on piracy to save the industry and uphold education standards.
Elsewhere, Nairobi Senatorial aspirant Paul Kobia has been ordered to appear in court next Monday to answer to charges of kidnap, assault and behaving disorderly while in possession of a firearm.
Kobia, a businessman, and four of his bodyguards are on 9th of this month said to have kidnapped and assaulted a Congolese national Londole Iseka Blanchard causing him bodily harm.
Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi while giving the orders said the defense did not provide any relevant documents in relation to his absence in court.
Through his lawyer, the court was told that Kobia was in hospital nursing head injuries following a road accident.
Kobia, Alvin Anzaya, Nelson Moyi, John Mutwiri and Martin Mwangi are accused of committing the offences on the 9th of this month at body zone spa and lounge along Kindaruma road in Kilimani, Nairobi.
Kobia faces a third count of behaving disorderly while in possession of a firearm.
The four were released on a 500,000 shillings cash bail.
And the hearing of a case in which Imenti Central MP Gideon Nwiti is charged with rape among other charges has failed to kick off.
This is after the MPs lawyer John Khaminwa poked holes into the charge sheet claiming the charges were defective and contrary to the law.
Khaminwa said count one of rape is contrary to section 62 of the sexual offences act whereas the alternative count which accuses the MP of committing an indecent act with an adult contrary to section 11/6 of the sexual offences act does not exist in law.
Mwiti is accused of raping and forcefully carrying out an HIV test on a woman in his office in 2015.
