Police have seized about 196 bags of fake fertilizer, 396 kg of counterfeit maize seedlings in Kakamega County and arrested three suspects.
The police from Shianda police station, in Mumias East acting on a tip-off raided the home of one Asma Mukoya, where they found a lorry loading the fake products.
Police also recovered from the house a weighing machine, three rolls of sewing threads, a repackaging machine, three bags of unsealed 50 kg fertilizer, and assorted empty sacks.
“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.
“Police impounded fake 196 bags of 50 kg, 24 bags of 50 kg yarabela exran, 12 bags of 50 kg DAP falcon fertilizer, 14 bags of 50 kg chaps meli DAP fertilizer, 2 bags of 50 kg DAP fertilizer, 8 bags of 25 kg chaps solai mbolea Bora, 23.5 bags of 10 kg DAP falcon fertilizer, and 198 packets of 2 kg hybrid seed maize from Kenya Seed Company suspected to be counterfeit,” the police report says.
Police listed those arrested as Asma Mukoya, Rodgers Otundo, the driver of the lorry and Milzadeck Meja, the suspected broker.
The three are assisting the police with investigations.
The government has put farmers 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.
By George Kaiga
