The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has apprehended five individuals linked to the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit fertiliser in Uasin Gishu County. The arrests followed two simultaneous operations conducted in Moiben and Soy subcounties.
During the first raid in Kapsubere Village, Karuna Hills, officers arrested two suspects and recovered 550 bags of suspected adulterated fertiliser believed to have been diverted from the government's subsidised fertiliser programme. Four other suspects fled into a nearby maize plantation and remain at large.
The search was extended to Ziwa Sirikwa, where an additional 74 bags of fertiliser were seized from a store owned by another suspect who is also yet to be apprehended. The two detained suspects are currently in custody pending arraignment.
In a separate operation in Kabenes area of Soy Subcounty, DCI detectives arrested three suspects and recovered about 3,500 bags of assorted suspected counterfeit fertiliser. These suspects are also being processed for court.
The recovered fertiliser has been secured as evidence in the ongoing investigations. Authorities emphasized that efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates involved in the production and distribution of fake agricultural inputs are ongoing.
DCI Statement: "We remain committed to protecting farmers’ livelihoods and national food security by targeting networks engaged in the production and sale of counterfeit agricultural products," the agency said.
The crackdown comes amid heightened enforcement measures to curb the circulation of fake and adulterated farm inputs, which threaten agricultural productivity and food security across the country.
