Nairobi, May 5 -- The United States has flagged Kenya as a key destination and transit point in the global trade of counterfeit goods, placing the country at the centre of an illicit network thriving on weak enforcement and porous borders.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) directly links countries with "ineffective or inadequate" intellectual property enforcement, including Kenya, to the expansion of illicit trade flows.

The US warns that such gaps are enabling traffickers to move fake goods such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and clothing across continents with relative ease.

The USTR says counterfeit goods, largely originating from manufacturing hubs such as China and India, are shipped through transit poin...