NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7 – Lawmakers are now conducting investigations on fake fertilizer bag manufacturers after inconsistencies emerged between supplied empty bags compared to fertilizer sold in the market.
Revelations made before the National Assembly Agriculture Committee led by Tigania West Member of Parliament John Mutunga showed how extra fertilizer bags might have been printed for the supply of fake fertilizer.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) had approved Supreme Packaging Limited to manufacture fertilizer packaging bags on behalf of companies awarded tenders to supply sub-standard fertilizer.
Supreme Packaging Limited Operation Manager Samson Kechukah told MPs they supplied 68,126 bags to KELs chemicals for the packaging of the fertilizer.
Details show KELs Chemicals sold 69,670 bags of fertilizers raising eyebrows on where the company obtained the extra 1,544 bags.
“In this case we are not able to reconcile what we supplied to KELs chemicals and the figure they are giving since we cannot give details on whether they were able to obtain bags from any other entity,”he said.
KELs Chemicals was awarded a quotation by Mems Distributors Limited to manufacture NPK fertilizer on their behalf which has now been flagged as sub-standard by KEBS.
In January, Mems Distributors Limited approached KEL Chemicals with a Local Purchase Order to supply and distribute NPK fertilizer on their behalf under the subsidy program.
Mems Distributor had been awarded a tender contract by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to supply NPK fertilizer but they lacked the technical capacity prompting them to subcontract KEL chemicals.
Supreme Packaging Limited was hard-pressed to explain how the extra bags of fertilizer found their way into the market which could potentially be linked to a plot to supply fake fertilizer to farmers.
“Its very hard to differentiate what we supplied to KELs chemicals and the bags in the market. This is because you will find the bags are of the same standards and its hard to differentiate the bags,” stated Kechukah.
Previously before the committee, KELs chemicals Devesh Patel had linked Mems Distributors Limited to the extra bags when tasked by MPs on the import of the excess quantities.
KEL Chemicals expressed the quantity of bags recalled from the farmers are of a higher quantity than those distributed to them raising issues as to the accountability and origin of extra bags.
The company absolved itself from assertions that they produced substandard bags for the fertilizer packaging which exposed the product saying it was upon the customer’s discretion.
“One can either choose to have laminated or liner in the fertilizer bags. We advised the customer on the bags to pick. KEL chemicals opted for laminated bags if they wanted bags with liners, they would require NEMA approval,” Kechukah said.
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