The County Government of Meru on Tuesday came under fire for supplying farmers in Tigania West with expired fertilizer.
The residents, while holding protests, alleged that the fertilisers were supplied under a program initially created to assist farmers affected by the locust invasion three years ago. Since then, the program has been retained to promote sustainable farming and increase crop production.
In the latest complaints, the County Government allegedly donated 30 bags of 25kg fertilisers that the farmers claimed had expired in 2018.
“The county government supplied us with this fertiliser two weeks ago but we realised that it had been manufactured in 2013 and had expired in 2018,” one of the complainants lamented.
The farmers, while returning the fake fertiliser to the county offices, expressed their frustration at being supplied with the fertilizer which had new packaging. They stated that this was deliberate foul play by the county.
“What is really disappointing is that the county supplied us with the fertilizer packaged in new bags knowing that it was all fake. It is very upsetting,” another farmer stated.
During the protests, the farmers were also irate at the low number of fertiliser bags supplied by the county stating that the bags provided were not proportional to the number of farmers.
“The county government only gave us 30 bags of fertiliser. In our farmers’ association, we are 50 in number. The low number of bags resulted in members having to share amongst themselves. It is not fair because some members end up having inadequate fertiliser for their land,” the farmers decried.
The farmers affirmed that the representatives from the Health committee of the county government resorted to threats and intimidation after the farmers complained about the fake fertilizer. They added that the county government denied giving them substandard fertilizer.
“When we complained, the county government denied giving us fake fertilizer. They later told us that if we keep complaining, we will not be considered for the next round of donations,” the farmers asserted.
The farmers who had already used a great portion of the fertilizer are in a state of limbo as they face uncertainty regarding the progress of the cultivated crops. They demanded compensation from the county government as they anticipated losses in the upcoming harvest season.
“We already used a great portion of the fertilizer; we do not know how our crops will perform in the upcoming harvest. We demand compensation from the county government,” the farmers declared.
Earlier this year, the country was rocked with a fake fertilizer scandal which implicated then agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi and the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). The circulation of fake fertilizer severely impacted crop cultivation in the country amidst increased food scarcity in Kenya.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE