The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has conducted dawn raids on six major Foam Mattress Manufacturers and distributors across four counties as part of investigations into suspected anti-competitive conduct.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Authority said the simultaneous operations targeted business premises in Nairobi, Machakos County, Kiambu County and Kisumu, where officers seized critical evidence for forensic analysis.
The unannounced inspections—commonly known as dawn raids—led to the recovery of electronic and physical materials including hard disks, laptops, mobile phones, management reports and sales records.
The Authority said the operation was informed by intelligence gathered through market surveillance, which pointed to possible cartel-like behaviour among competitors in the foam mattress sector.
“Foam mattresses are an essential household commodity, used by millions of Kenyan consumers. Our intervention seeks to establish whether collusive practices are undermining the affordability and accessibility of these products,” said Director-General David Kemei.
Under Sections 31 and 32 of the Competition Act, the Authority is empowered to enter premises and inspect records where there is reasonable suspicion of restrictive trade practices such as price fixing, collusive tendering, abuse of dominance and market allocation.
CAK clarified that the raids do not imply guilt but are a critical step in securing evidence that could otherwise be concealed or destroyed.
The Authority said it upheld the rights of the affected businesses during the operation, including allowing access to legal representation and ensuring minimal disruption to their activities.
Investigators will now analyse the materials seized before determining the next course of action. The Authority noted that parties involved will be given an opportunity to make submissions before any final decision is reached.
If found guilty of breaching competition laws, the companies could face penalties of up to 10 per cent of their annual gross turnover, alongside orders to cease and remedy the anti-competitive conduct.
Kemei said the probe is expected to take several months, citing the complexity of such cases, but added that recent investments in forensic capacity and staff training could help speed up the process.
The Authority has also called on members of the public to report any suspected anti-competitive practices in the market.
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