Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh now says some of the individuals behind the fake fertilizer scandal will disappear.
Addressing the media on Saturday, April 6, PS Ronoh said the government will not allow a few individuals to disrupt the agriculture sector.
The Agriculture PS noted that some of the suspects would be taken to court and jailed over the saga.
"What you will be hearing are people in court, people in jail, and some disappearing and the reason is we cannot allow our food basket to be messed by a few individuals," PS Ronoh stated.
At the same time, he announced that the government would compensate farmers affected by the fake fertilizer.
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Ronoh mentioned that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is currently collecting data from the affected farmers.
"We are engaging the farmers who were affected and we have directed NCPB to move ahead and facilitate them by capturing the data and ascertaining the information so they are assisted," he said.
For farmers who had already used the fake fertilizer, the Agriculture PS said they will have it replaced with top dressing to help address nutrient deficiencies in the plants.
“We have also analyzed the missing component in those fertilizers which shall be addressed by top-dressing fertilizers," PS Ronoh added.
This comes after the Ministry of Agriculture ordered the suspension and seizure of Kelphos Plus, Kelphos gold, and NPK 10:26:10 fertilizers saying they did not meet all required test parameters.
According to the ministry, the affected consignment was distributed by KEL Chemical fertilizers between 5th and 10th March 2024.
“Following the release of test results by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the government has taken decisive action to safeguard the agricultural sector and farmers by announcing the immediate suspension of KEL Chemicals’ operations and seizure of its fertilizer products,” CS Mithika Linturi stated.
