The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, has ordered the destruction of 27,518 bags of an expired consignment of fertiliser held in various National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores across the country.
The CS announced that the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is to supervise the safe destruction of the consignment of Sulphate of Ammonia (21%) fertiliser that was delivered to NCPB by Fine Tech Edge Ltd between 27th December 2024 and 6th January 2025.
Prior to contract execution, Kagwe revealed that samples of the fertiliser were drawn by KEBS for testing, and the results indicated that the fertiliser complied with the requirement for Sulphate of Ammonia (21% N) and NPK fertilisers as per Kenyan standards.
He stated that the consignment delivered to NCPB after a green light from KEBS was a total of 34,100 bags, 50 kg each.
However, upon supply, NCPB discovered the short shelf life, which was to lapse on February 28th, 2025, as indicated in the packaging material.
“The supplier was notified of the same and requested to deliver fertiliser with a longer shelf life, as the entire consignment was unlikely to be sold by the end of February,” he asserted, insisting that per standard operating procedures, the unsold fertiliser would not be released to the market and would be safely destroyed.
In a communiqué to newsrooms, Kagwe noted that the NCPB management issued a sale stoppage order of the same consignment on 27th February 2025, whereas KEBS seized the fertiliser on 4th March 2025 and has stopped any movement of the same until safe destruction.
“As the supply of the fertiliser is on a consignment basis, and the ownership rests with the supplier until sold, this means that FineTech Edge Ltd will bear the costs and loss,” affirmed Kagwe.
Further, the CS reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring Kenyan farmers access the highest quality of farm inputs, that public health and environmental standards are upheld, and at no time will these be compromised.
He also urged players in the agricultural and livestock sectors to take up insurance to mitigate such losses.
“The government and Kenyan public will not incur any loss or costs,” Kagwe reaffirmed.
By Jesee Otieno and Michael Omondi
