• Wetang'ula said that their acts amount to economic crimes.
• Kebs on Wednesday last week confirmed that fake subsidised fertiliser is on the market and sold by the government-controlled NCPB in the planting season.
Image: MOSES WETANG'ULA/X
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula now says that the individuals selling alleged fake fertiliser to farmers are actually sabotaging the economy.
In a statement on Sunday, Wetang'ula said that their acts amount to economic crimes.
He insisted that it is time law enforcement agencies acted fast and have them punished according to the law.
"The criminals who are adulterating and selling fake fertiliser are criminals committing economic crimes and economic sabotage! Law enforcement agencies must reign them in swiftly and make them feel the full weight of the law," Wetang'ula said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of reports and an admission by the Kenya Bureau of Standards that indeed there was fake fertiliser in the Kenyan market.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards on Wednesday last week confirmed that fake subsidised fertiliser is on the market and sold by the government-controlled NCPB in the planting season.
The shocking admission was made by Kebs, the standardisation agency, before the National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee.
Kebs managing director Esther Ngari told the committee that innocent farmers had been duped into buying the fakes, now confirmed to be Diatomite. The Kebs labels on them were also fake, she said.
So far the agency had impounded 5,840 bags of the alleged fake fertiliser bearing their standardisation marks.
It is, however, not clear how many more bags could have been bought by farmers, a racket that will hit the struggling Kenyan farmer hard.
On Friday, Kebs cautioned farmers against buying a substandard fertiliser that is in the market.
In a notice to farmers, Kebs said that the fertiliser does not meet the set Kenyan quality standard and that it is also not part of the subsidised fertiliser programme.
"The product does NOT meet the requirements of the Kenyan Standards for Organic Fertiliser KS 2290:2018.
"It is not part of the government fertiliser subsidy programme," the notice reads.
The standardisation agency insisted that government-approved subsidized fertiliser meets all safety and quality standards.
Kebs called on Kenyans to report any instances of suspected substandard products available for purchase, through the KEBS Official App, email – [email protected], Telephone Number - 020 6948000 and Toll-Free Number -1545.
"If you happen to come across a product that does not meet the required standards, we kindly request that you notify us immediately. Your attentiveness is crucial in safeguarding the well-being of our agricultural community.
"We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining high standards for our products," Kebs said.