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Fake Fertilizer Seized by KEBS
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Wednesday announced confiscating 5,840 bags of counterfeit fertilizer following worries from farmers about the quality of products available in the market. This comes after farmers in Kakamega County reported receiving fertilizer containing mostly stones instead of nutrients.
KEBS tests revealed that “BL-GPC Original” fertilizer, produced by SBL Innovate Limited, failed quality standards and was unfit for sale. According to KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari, the company received approval in January 2023 to supply fertilizer, but the tested product differed from what was being sold at National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
“The fertilizer we initially certified is not the same as what was seized from NCPB warehouses. This counterfeit product is unfit for sale,” said Ms. Ngari.
KEBS testing discovered the fertilizer was not organic but composed of diatomite, a sedimentary rock. “We revoked the permit, seized the product from NCPB, and haven’t found it elsewhere,” Ms. Ngari informed the parliamentary committee on Agriculture.
Committee members expressed concern that the substandard fertilizer might have been available for a year before detection. They questioned the frequency of KEBS inspections and the potential impact on farmers who used the product.
Ms. Ngari explained that KEBS acted on a journalist’s tip regarding the fertilizer’s authenticity. Initially, NCPB denied KEBS permission to test samples, requiring a formal request.
The committee, investigating the sale of substandard fertilizer, is scheduled to meet with the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary and NCPB officials next week.
Gov’t to Release Bodies of Shakahola Victims
The Kenyan government has announced the release of 34 bodies next week, identified as victims of the Shakahola starvation cult. These remains are part of the hundreds exhumed from mass graves in the remote Shakahola Forest last year.
A total of 429 bodies, including children, were discovered. Autopsies revealed signs of starvation and violence on many of the deceased.
Survivors and families of the victims allege that self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, had convinced followers to relocate to Shakahola in preparation for the apocalypse. They claim he instructed them to fast for “ascension to heaven.”
While the government will offer counseling to affected families, they will not be providing assistance with transporting the bodies for burial, as stated by Dr. Johansen Oduor, Chief Government Pathologist, during a press conference on Wednesday.
Mackenzie denies any involvement in the deaths. He and several associates are currently facing trial on charges including terrorism, murder, and torture.
Dr. Oduor also announced plans for further exhumations in the coming weeks, with 35 additional gravesites identified. This could potentially increase the confirmed death toll.
The slow pace of identification, according to Dr. Oduor, is attributed to a lack of families coming forward to claim their loved ones.
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