NAIROBI, Kenya, April 19 – KEL Chemicals Limited has said that it will compensate any farmer who raises a complaint about receiving the alleged substandard fertilizers supplied to them by the company.
In a letter directed to the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, KEL stated that the company will conduct a thorough investigation and analysis of the presented batch, which will then enable the company to replace the product depending on the outcome of the analysis.
The complainant will be required to provide details like batch numbers, delivery numbers, and the date of the delivery to the company.
“Any product still within the control of the company is detained and segregated. Any products returned are Clearly marked ‘NOT FOR SALE’,” the firm stated.
The announcement comes days after the Ministry of Agriculture asked farmers to discontinue three fertilizer brands from the company, which were labeled Kelphos Plus, Kelphos Gold, and NPK 10:26:10, after they failed tests conducted by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
The company has, however, strongly refuted the claims of producing substandard fertilizers, stressing that the claims are inaccurate since it had already received positive results from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) early last month.
“On 3rd April 2024 the company received positive results as to the samples of the fertilizer following an independent application for analysis to KEPHIS Analytical Laboratory on 21st March 2024 as those sent to KEBS have gone unanswered till today,” it added.
The ministry further stated that KEBS had ignited legal action against KEL Chemicals for violating standards requirements, a step that KEL has termed unfair.
Furthermore, the company has blamed the government for neglecting its responsibility to track the source of the substandard fertilizer and instead subjecting the company’s officials to harassment and intimidation.
“We have noticed that instead of training efforts to establish the origin of the alleged substandard fertilizer, the company officials have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by a collective effort of certain members of the executive.”
