Recently, Monica Murerwa was returning home from work when a new business stall caught her eyes. She decided to check it out and see what they were selling. Eventually, she bought two pieces of cosmetics. When she reached home, she realised that one of the products had expired, while the other had a bad scent.

It is obvious that Murerwa was a victim of an unscrupulous trader who vends substandard products. The risk is even higher during this festive season as unscrupulous traders always take advantage of periods like Christmas and New Year festivities to sell fake products to unsuspecting holiday buyers.

Alex Kagabo, a resident of Kicukiro district, says the number of vendors selling substandard products in the city always goes high during the festive season like Christmas.

He claims that some hawkers remove the expiry date labels to hoodwink buyers. He says most people are not keen on product expiry dates, adding that it is also hard to distinguish the products from genuine ones, especially at night.

Grace Kabera has had a nasty experience with substandard products.  Kabera says a few months back, she bought some packed food that caused food poisoning, resulting in hospitalisation of some of her siblings. "The experience taught me a big lesson...I am always cautious...I check expiry dates to avoid the repeat of the scary experience. I have also started buying given items from shops I trust,” she says.

Jonathan Bongo, a wholesaler in Nyarugenge, urges people to be vigilant, saying unscrupulous traders take advantage of festive season to sell fake goods.

"Substandard products are not only a threat to one’s health, but also cause financial loss. People need to be observant to avoid buying fake items... It is advisable to shop from a trusted store,” he says.