The counterfeit tool trade is sophisticated enough that packaging alone will not tell you anything. What will is the battery, the serial, and the warranty paperwork.
Start with the pack. Genuine batteries have a moulded serial and a date code; counterfeits usually carry a printed label that is slightly off-centre or a serial that repeats across units in the same shop. Weight is another tell — fake packs are consistently lighter because they use fewer or smaller cells.
Grey imports are a subtler issue. The tool is genuine, but it was destined for another market, so the local distributor will not honour the warranty. Ask specifically whether the warranty is serviceable in Kenya, and get it in writing on the receipt.
Check the plug and the voltage badge. A tool built for a 110 V market will run poorly and unsafely on 240 V even with an adapter, and a moulded plug for the wrong market is a strong indicator of a grey import.
Finally, buy the battery and the tool from the same source where possible. The most common counterfeit scenario we see is a genuine bare tool paired with a fake pack, which is also the most dangerous combination.
