THE Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) has embarked on a massive recruitment drive aimed at beefing up its teams to ensure adequate execution of its watchdog mandate.
The CPC was established under the Consumer Protection Act Chapter 14:14 (No. 5 of 2019), which became law on 10 December 2019 and is administered by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Its main function is to protect the consumers, regulate the accreditation of consumer protection advocacy groups, conduct alternative dispute resolution and promote consumer awareness in collaboration with the requisite line ministries, Government departments, institutions and advocacy groups.
“Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) is now inviting suitably qualified and experienced individuals to apply for the positions that have risen in the commission,” it said in a latest public notice.
Among the vacancies to be filled are posts for; six investigations officers, one of them senior, senior compliance and inspections officer, 20 consumer protection inspectors, 10 compliance officers, one accountant, one senior IT officer, one human resources and administration officer, one monitoring and evaluation officer, one analyst, and one internal auditor.
The commission operates as an implementation mechanism of the Consumer Protection Act in line with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce where unscrupulous business people that engage in unfair practices that include multi-tier pricing, fraudulent offers, failure to label products properly and the disclosure of consumers’ personal information to third parties, are liable for prosecution.
Other vacancies needed in the Commission include a procurement officer, an education/awareness and training officer, an assistant internal auditor, an assistant procurement officer, three revenue and levy officers, two legal officers, a personal assistant to the chief executive, four complaints call centre and registry agents, two drivers and two office assistants.
Under the new regulations, consumers are entitled to be fully refunded for defective or sub-standard goods and can individually approach the courts for redress or refer their complaints to the Consumer Protection Commission set up in the Act. – The Chronicle
