Police officers have intercepted fake fertilizer and maize seeds in Kakamega County with three suspects detained in a raided carried out on Wednesday.
The police from Shianda police station, in Mumias East acting on a tip-off, raided the home of Asma Mukoya, where they found a lorry loading with among others, 196 bags of fake fertilizer and 396kgs of counterfeit maize.
“Acting on a tip-off led officers to raid the home of one Asma Mukoya, aged 38 years in Musoma village, Lubinu sub- location in Mumias East sub- County, 4 kilometres south of the station and found a lorry registration number KDL 120K make FRR Isuzu loading suspected counterfeit fertilizer,” reads a police report.
Other items impounded in the house include a weighing machine, three rolls of sewing threads, a repackaging machine, three bags of unsealed 50kgs fertilizer and assorted empty sacks.
“Police impounded fake 196 bags of 50kgs, 24 bags of 50kgs yarabela exran, 12 bags of 50kgs DAP falcon fertilizer, 14 bags of 50kgs chaps meli DAP fertilizer, 2 bags of 50kgs DAP fertilizer, 8 bags of 25kgs chaps solai mbolea Bora, 23.5 bags of 10kgs DAP Falcon fertilizer and 198 packets of 2kgs hybrid seed maize from Kenya Seed Company suspected to be counterfeit,” the police report says.
The law enforcement agents also arrested Rodgers Otundo, the driver of the lorry and Milzadeck Meja, the suspected broker.
The three are assisting the police with investigations.
The incidents comes as the government cautioned farmers to be on high alert following resurgence of fake fertilizer and maize seedlings in the market.
Farmers have been asked to purchase certified products from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), with the government supplying an additional one million bags of subsidized fertilizers to various depots across the country.
The Kakamega incident comes in the wake of reports of fake fertilizers and maize seeds being impounded in Molo and Kuresoi North of Nakuru County as well as Kisii County.
