Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Thursday ordered the destruction of 27,518 bags of expired fertiliser at various National Cereals Produce Board (NCPB) stores, assuring that the government and the public would not incur any losses.
In a communiqué, Kagwe noted that the costs would be borne by the supplier as the bags were supplied on a consignment basis, with the destruction set to be supervised by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
“Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has today ordered the destruction of 27,518 bags of an expired consignment of fertiliser held in various National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores across the country,” the Ministry stated.
“The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is to supervise the safe destruction of this consignment of sulphate of ammonia (21%) fertiliser that was delivered to NCPB by the supplier between December 27, 2024, and January 6, 2025,” it further added.
As per the ministry, the consignment delivered to NCPB, a total of 34,100 bags (50 kg), came after prior tests done by KEBS had revealed that the fertiliser complied with Kenyan standards.
“Prior to contract execution, samples of the fertiliser were drawn by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for testing, and the results indicated that the fertiliser complied with the requirement for Sulphate of Ammonia (21%N) and NPK fertilisers as per Kenyan standards,” noted the Ministry.
However, upon delivery, the Board noted the short shelf-life of the fertiliser, which was set to expire towards the end of February. Upon the discovery, the supplier was notified and instructed to deliver fertiliser with a longer shelf life.
“Upon supply, NCPB noted the short shelf life, which was to lapse on February 28, 2025, as indicated in the packaging material. The supplier was notified of the same and requested to deliver fertiliser with a longer shelf life, as the entire consignment was unlikely to be sold by the end of February,” it explained.
With concerns by Kenyans rife about the possibility of the fake fertiliser getting into the market, Kagwe moved to reassure citizens that the fertiliser would be secured and destroyed.
“Per standard operating procedures, the unsold fertiliser would not be released to the market and would be safely destroyed,” he averred.
The latest comes after the country has previously been rocked by numerous fake fertiliser scandals, with the most notable one being under the tenure of former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi.
In March 2024, President William Ruto and his administration went through heavy criticism after it emerged that government officials were knowingly distributing fake fertiliser to farmers to use during the busy planting season.
The scandal, which implicated NPCB, came to light after KEBS revealed that the NCPB officials had conspired with intent to defraud Kenyan farmers and sold a total of 139,688 bags of 25 kg each of soil amendment and conditioner valued at Ksh209 million, purporting it to be a genuine fertiliser.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE