Afcacia

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) is investigating the conduct of online food and grocery delivery platforms to pose regulations and policies on the sector, Tech Crunch reported.

According to the report, the competition regulator in the country claimed the move would steer healthy competition and bear rules that will protect the consumer.

CAK will probe the role of data in the operations of the platforms, data portability, how they acquire customers, consumer protection issues and redress mechanisms used by the marketplaces. 

The findings will help the regulatory body to review if the existing regulatory framework can be applied in digital markets.

Acting Director General of CAK, Adano Wario noted that the market inquiry will seek to uncover how food delivery and groceries platforms work in practice and suggest regulatory and policy options for competition and consumer protection enforcement.

“The inquiry will identify players and services involved in the food delivery and groceries platforms business model in Kenya and examine the relationships between the platforms and the users with a focus on the competition parameters (market power and conduct) and concerns amongst the players,” the director general said.

By understanding consumer protection concerns, CAK will be in a position to provide redress mechanisms for consumers shopping through the marketplaces.

Online food delivery and grocery platforms in Kenya, include Uber, Jumia, Bolt and Glovo, which also enable customers to conduct online shopping. In addition, these platforms offer delivery services.