Three suspects arrested with stolen government subsidized fertilizer

Three suspects have been apprehended by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers, and 739 bags of assorted brands of fertilizer recovered.

According to the DCI, Ali Abdi Fatah, Abdi Jabar Hussein & Bonface Ouma Awili were arrested at the Baraka shop cereal store within Matisi market along the Kitale-Endebess road, with fertilizer valued at Ksh.1,847,500.

The assorted brands included 424 bags of Falcon CAN, 43 bags of Tupande, 98 bags of Mavuno, 71 bags of KEL Green NPK (50 kgs each), 20 bags of NPSB-OCP, four bags of DAP-OCP, 26 bags of FOMI OTESHA, 34 bags of Simba Urea, 16 bags of FALCON Ammonia Sulphate and one bag of NAFAKA Plus weighing 50kg.

This follows a string of theft cases of government-subsidized fertilizer from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots, which are sneaked out of the country.

DCI's Operations Support Unit (OSU) was deployed and intercepted the suspects preparing to transit the fertilizer to the neighbouring country.

The detectives also recovered delivery notes from NCPB Kitale, Malaba, Moi's Bridge, Isiolo, and Maua NCPB depots, whose authentication is underway.

The scene has been processed by Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) and all exhibits secured, as the three suspects await arraignment.

This comes as the country faces controversy over the authenticity of fake fertilizer that was being supplied to farmers through the government subsidy programme.

The Senate Agriculture Committee had launched an inquiry into a fake fertilizer syndicate and had summoned Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi to answer questions about the circulation of counterfeit fertilizers in the Kenyan market.

CS Linturi claimed that the fertilizer was not counterfeit, but rather it was sub-standard.