Farmers have jammed NCPB depots in the North Rift to collect subsidised fertiliser despite claims of widespread distribution of fake fertiliser ahead of the planting season.
Long queues were witnessed at the NCPN depots in Eldoret and Kapsabet among other areas where planting is expected to start with the onset of long rains.
Agriculture PS Paul Rono and MPs from the region have asked farmers to continue buying the subsidised fertiliser from NCPB depots with promises that the government had take action to ensure there was no distribution of fake fertiliser.
About 560 bags of fake input were seized in Molo area as police moved to trace those behind the distribution of fake fertiliser in parts of the country.
Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi assured farmers that the input was of top quality and asked them to source it from NCPB depots.
“I have not received a report from the Kenya Bureau of Standards about fake fertiliser being distributed within the subsidised fertiliser system. We have asked farmers to ignore claims that are not substantiated,” Linturi said.
PS Rono said in Eldoret that the government had planned to distribute more than 12 million bags during both the short and long term rains.
“We have already distributed more than two million bags and more fertiliser is being delivered in all areas and nearest points where farmers can easily access it”, he said.
MPs from Uasin Gishu county including Julius Rutto (Kesses), Janet Sitienei (Turbo) and Phyllis Bartoo joined in efforts to assure farmers that the government would ensure the fertiliser being distributed through the NCPB is of required standards.
“We are asking the government to ensure that anyone involved in selling fake fertiliser is held and prosecuted for economic sabotage,” Rutto said.
The MPs said they would also play their role of oversight to ensure that all government officials handling the subsidised fertiliser do so in an effective and transparent manner.
The legislators said the subsidised fertiliser distributed to farmers last year was of high quality and led to increased production, hence the same quality should be distributed this season.
Rono assured farmers that NCPB staff at all depots had been prepared to speed up the distribution in all areas. Farmers complained that queues at most of the depots were too long.
So far more than 120,000 farmers have registered at the NCPB depots in the region seeking to buy the fertiliser, which is being sold at Sh 2,500 per 50kg bag.
