Millions of Kenyans could be consuming food contaminated with hazardous pesticides after a new auditor general's report exposed serious failures in the country's pesticide regulation system.
The performance audit by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu reveals that dangerous pesticides are circulating freely in the market, posing risks to public health and agricultural exports.
She cited weak enforcement, acute staff shortages, poor farmer education and inadequate scientific monitoring as facilitating the dangerous situation.
The report concludes the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), the pesticides regulator, has failed to adequately monitor and enforce compliance.
Laws governing the supply, use and disposal of pest control products are not being adhered to optimally, the auditor observed.
"The board has not adequately monitored and enforced compliance with regulations on supply and use of pesticides to reduce unsafe practices and prevent environmental harm," Gathungu says in the report.
"Farmers are accessing and using non-authorised pest control products, negatively affecting food safety and the environment."
The findings raise fresh concerns over food safety in the country, where pesticides are largely used in commercial and small-scale farming.
The audit established the board is grossly understaffed, with only 64 officers in post, against an approved staff establishment of 267 positions.
According to the auditor general, the staffing gap has crippled inspections, enforcement, scientific surveillance and public education programmes.
"In the circumstances, the understaffing may hinder effective delivery of services by the board," the report says.
The audit nevertheless found inspections of premises handling pesticides increased significantly during the review period.
Inspections rose from 6,322 premises in the 2021-22 financial year to 11,150 by 2024-25, a 76 per cent increase.
However, the intensified inspections failed to stem the flow of illegal products.
Data analysed by the auditor general shows seizures of expired, counterfeit and unregistered pesticides surged during the same period. The bulk comprised unregistered pesticides.
Despite the increased inspections, it emerged that enforcement has not discouraged illegal trade.
"Data over the audit period indicates that increased inspections were not a deterrent to production and sale of such products," Gathungu says.
Even more troubling, the board continued licensing businesses that had already been prosecuted for selling illegal pesticides.
The audit established that despite successfully prosecuting offenders, the board did not revoke their operating certificates, exposing consumers to repeated violations.
The auditor general also identified serious weaknesses in follow-up inspections.
More than half of sampled agro-dealers reported receiving no follow-up visit after initial inspections.
It was further established that regional offices lacked systems to record corrective actions or monitor compliance.
Corrective notices issued to inspected facilities have no timelines for compliance, and auditors found no records showing whether the violations were ever corrected.
The report warns that such failures increase the likelihood that farmers continue buying non-compliant products.
"Non-compliant premises remain in operation while compliant premises may lapse into non-compliance as a result of no follow-up and punitive sanctions," it says.
The audit further exposes glaring gaps in farmer education.
Out of 49 farmers interviewed during the audit, only 29 per cent said they had received training from the board on safe pesticide use.
By comparison, 65 per cent of agro-dealers had received sensitisation, revealing how the primary users of pesticides remain largely uninformed about safe handling, storage and disposal.
The report links poor farmer awareness to excruciating shortages of agricultural extension officers.
Government policy recommends one extension officer for every 600 farmers, but none of the sampled counties met the required ratio.
The audit cites the Agrochemical Association of Kenya's 2024 report, which found farmers in Lamu intercropping cotton with food crops despite cotton requiring heavy pesticide application.
Other unsafe practices included using herbicides to dry food crops and improper disposal of empty pesticide containers.
Such practices increase contamination of food, soil and water while exposing communities to harmful chemicals.
The report also criticises the board for failing to undertake routine scientific reviews of pesticides already approved for use.
Although public concern and pressure from MPs prompted a review of some products, only 40 active ingredients out of 420 registered ingredients had been reviewed.
The board had withdrawn eight active ingredients affecting 77 products and restricted another seven active ingredients affecting 202 products.
The audit further found the board lacks equipment capable of testing all pesticide formulations in the market.
The limited testing increases the risk that substandard or hazardous products remain undetected.
The auditor general adds that the control board did not test water or soil for pesticide contamination during the audit period.
Only 12 of Kenya's 47 counties were covered in baseline studies covering kales, onions and tomatoes in 2024. One residue analysis was done on potatoes in Nyandarua in 2025.
One onion sample exceeded residue limits, and the produce could not be traced back through the supply chain, hence were likely consumed.
The report notes that the European Union has tightened restrictions on Kenyan produce because of pesticide residue concerns.
Kenya remains on the EU's red list for products including chillies, peas and beans.
Fresh vegetable exports dropped by 54.7 per cent from 164,100 tonnes in 2023 to 74,300 tonnes in 2024, with stricter pesticide standards cited among the reasons.
The auditor general also faulted weak collaboration among government agencies responsible for pesticide regulation.
County governments rarely participate in inspections or share licensing information with the Board, while coordination with other regulators remains limited.
