Agriculture PS Kiprono Ronoh inspects subsidised fertiliser at the NCPB depot in Eldoret

Five people have been arrested in Eldoret after police discovered they were adulterating subsidised fertiliser and selling it at inflated prices.

Security officers raided a business premises at Naiberi trading centre, recovering at least 600 bags of the fake fertiliser, repackaged and ready for sale.

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Acting Uasin Gishu police commander Patrick Wekesa said the premises owner escaped and is being traced.

“The main suspect purchased subsidised fertiliser from the NCPB, then mixed it with chemicals to turn it black like DAP,” he explained.

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“Those arrested are his workers, but we are still searching for the main suspect and others involved.”

Police also recovered thousands of empty bags suspected to have been intended for repackaging more fake fertiliser.

The seized consignment, valued at Sh4 million, would have been sold at Sh6,500 per bag, compared with Sh2,500 for a 50kg bag at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.

Wekesa warned the mixture posed health and crop risks if sold to farmers and investigations are ongoing to determine whether some had already reached the market.

The arrests come ahead of the planting season, which begins in a few weeks.

The government has imported more than four million bags of subsidised fertiliser for distribution this year.

Agriculture PS Kiprono Ronoh has been inspecting NCPB depots to ensure the quality and timely delivery of fertiliser to farmers.

“We want to assure our farmers that we are well prepared for the planting season and do not expect any hitches,” he said.

The PS confirmed fertiliser has been distributed to all 32 NCPB depots, in collaboration with county governments, and approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.

Ronoh emphasised the use of e-vouchers for farmers to access subsidised fertiliser and warned that anyone tampering with the programme would face tough action.

Farmers are urged to source fertiliser only from NCPB depots.