Fertile Deception: Senate Opens Investigation Into Fake Fertilizer Saga

NAIROBI – The Senate on Tuesday opened an investigation into the fake fertilizer scandal after reviewing ‘Fertile Deception” Documentary by Africa Uncensored, showing how farmers across the country buying fake fertilizer from government stores.

The Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, chaired by Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango, announced on Friday last week that it will begin an in-depth investigation that will enable it to probe cabinet secretaries, visit farmers and government stores across the country.

On Tuesday, the committee watched the African Uncensored documentary, “Fertile Deception” in front of its producers, who were on hand to answer parliamentary questions.

Journalist Allan Namu said he hoped the investigation would help bring the perpetrators to justice. 

“Africa Uncensored spent most of the day in the afternoon investigating the “deception” for members of the Senate Agriculture and Livestock Committee, who have just started an investigation into the problem of fake fertilizers. I hope that something will come of this,” Namu said. 

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Cynthia Gichiri, a journalist and producer of the film, says that “Deception” is a thought-provoking book that reveals the dark side of fertilizer distribution in Kenya.

 “The two-year study looked at the same products that were collected, packaged, labeled, and sold to unsuspecting farmers at NCPB stores across the country under organic fertilizers.”

The investigative journalist explained that through secret photography, laboratory tests, and expert investigations, the media organization raises and answers questions about the existence of malicious plans to mislead farmers by selling them fake farm inputs.

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The committee wanted to find out how substandard fertilizers passed the quality test and came out on the market.

They summoned the cabinet secretaries Mithika Linturi (Agriculture) and Rebecca Miano (Trade), as well as Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) officials over the fake fertilizer scandal that has caused farmers across the country to lose money. 

They will face the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, chaired by Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango, with Miano explaining how the substandard fertilizer passed its quality test, they claim that  KEBS has already failed in its role.

Speaking in Kirinyaga on Friday evening, Murango said: “Tumeita waziri wa kilimo, waziri wa viwanda Rebecca Miano na KEBS, ambao wanashughulikia ubora wa bidhaa, tujue ni vipi mbolea gusi ilifikia wakulima.” (We have invited Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry Rebecca Miano and KEBS – who are in charge of quality of standards so that we can ascertain how fake fertiliser got to the farmers).  

This comes even as the government suspended the distribution of fertilizers under the subsidy program after it was established that some of the vital agricultural inputs in the market may be of substandard quality. The state went on to order an investigation into the distribution of fake fertilizers and to prosecute those found to be fraudsters.

The National Development Commission (NDIC), headed by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, ordered the National Grains and Produce Board (NCPB) to stop the distribution of fertilizers to allow investigations into the matter. 

“The national government reiterates its support to the farmers of our great nation to improve agricultural productivity,” Mudavadi said.

As a precautionary measure, the NCPB was ordered to suspend the distribution of fertilizers until an investigation is completed and a report issued.

“The NDIC stressed that once the investigation of the fertilizer is carried out, the perpetrators will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” the committee said in its report.