Police seize 4,000 bags of forged fertilizer
Police in Kitale have brought to light a syndicate where ‘corrupt’ traders have been re-packaging subsidized D.A.P fertilizer and re-selling it at higher prices.
The police who were acting on a tip off apprehended 4,000 bags of the re-packaged fertilizer and bags sewing machines with GOK emblem.
The operation was spear headed by the Trans Nzoia county commander Lilian Okembo who said finding those government machines is clear indication that some government and NCPB officials were working in cahoots with the traders.
She said there were five suspects that they had in mind but only managed to arrest two at the scene adding that one suspect fled during the crackdown on the stores hired out to traders by the Kenya Railway Corporation.
“We have been trailing the suspects for quite some time, and today we pounced on them going on with the vice and we assure they will be apprehended in court after we complete our investigations with all the government agencies like KEPHIS,” She warned.
The county commander added that some NCPB officials who were involved in the act were giving out fertilizer to the villain traders under the pretext of large scale farmers at the expense of real farmers.
This unscrupulous traders are repackaging the fertilizers which later when used during planting might result to low yield during harvesting this season,” warned Okembo.
Fertilizer acquired from NCPB is re-packaged in to various bags of commercial fertilizer bags then re-sold to farmers at a very high price of up to Ksh. 3500 per bag.
She also cautioned farmers against buying seeds from unlicensed traders and distributors in the markets who might want to get quick cash from them.
Her sentiments comes a week after the county government of Trans Nzoia distributed subsidized fertilizer to farmers in all five sub counties to a tune of sh 70 million to cushion them from high prices in the market.
