The cereals and produce board recovered hundreds of 50kg-bags of government subsidized fertilizer repackaged for sale from a Nakuru warehouse.
NCPB chairman Geoffrey King’ang’i said the close to 4,000 bags valued at Sh4,527,000 were found after a tip off from members of the public.
Security officers from the cereal board Nakuru depot found the consignment at a go-down near the Kenya Farmers Association headquarters.
“NCPB security officers together with police officers raided the go-down on Wednesday evening and recovered 2,515 bags of fertilizer still in NCPB bags while another 990 had already been repackaged,” King'ang'i said.
The recovered fertiliser will be kept at the Nakuru NCPB depot as exhibit.
King'ang'i said investigations into the theft syndicate will continue noting that the go-down belonged to one of NCPB’s contracted transporters.
“The owner of this go-down transports goods for the board from Mombasa to Western Kenya. He could have taken advantage of his job to steal from the government. NCPB has stopped his contract forthwith,” he said.
King'ang'i said the board would not allow any one to sabotage government projects seeking to help farmers ensure the country is food secure.
He assured farmers and the public in general that the board would safeguard public property entrusted to it.
NCPB Managing Director Newton Terer urged the police to quickly investigate the incident and charge the culprits.
He lamented that investigations into a similar case in Kitale two months ago had not been concluded to pave way for prosecution.
Terer asked farmers to stop placing orders for surplus subsidy which they later sell to brokers.
