Kephis starts fake agrovet, seed dealers
crackdown

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) has declared a countrywide crackdown to weed out agrovet dealers who sell fake seeds and fertilizer to unsuspecting farmers in a new move by the government to get rid of unscrupulous traders in the market.

Speaking in Mombasa yesterday, Kephis national chairman Joseph Mleruaki regretted that the vice is on the rise warning that perpetrators caught up in this crackdown will be subjected to Sh1 million fine or a jail term of upto two years.

The official said those dealing with the illegal practice of selling fake fertilizer and fake seeds are enemies of the economy and should be rotting in jail.

The agency said it has so far arrested 65 suspects, some of whom have been convicted and slapped with fines.

Counterfeit seeds

Mleruaki said over eighteen tonnes of counterfeit seeds have also been intercepted during the ongoing crackdown in parts of the country.

“We have the backing of the highest office in the land to ensure the materials farmers are getting are certified by the requisite agencies, we are warning the perpetrators of this vice that they will face the full force of the law,” Mleruaki warned.

He confirmed Kephis jointly with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) laid a trap on March 18 and arrested a suspected key fake seeds dealer, one Stephen Kiragu in Njoro, Nakuru county.