Top NCPB Officials Arrested Over Fake Fertiliser Saga

Three senior officials, including the Managing Director of the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), have been arrested in connection with ongoing investigations into fake fertiliser distribution.

According to reports reaching Viral Tea's newsdesk, the officials include the NCPB MD Joseph Muna Kimote, John Kiplangat Ngetich (Corporate Secretary), and John Mbaya Matiri (General Marketing Manager).

The three officials are expected to spend the whole of Labour Day, a holiday, in custody as well as on Tuesday night, and are set to be arraigned in court on Thursday, May 2.

Photo of NCPB Managing Director, Joseph Kimote. /CITIZEN DIGITAL

Their arrest followed the Director of Public Prosecution’s approval to charge the individuals and a businessman over the scandal.

Kimote, Kiplangat and Mbaya were all charged with conspiracy to defraud and abuse of office.

The DPP also approved charges for SBL Innovate Manufacturer and Fifty One Capital Limited. The firms were charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of economic crime, applying a standardization mark to a commodity that does not comply with the relevant Kenya Standard, manufacturing for Sale Substandard Goods and knowingly using labels on bags in connection with the manufacture and sale of organic fertilizer.

The director of the two companies was charged with forgery, making a document without authority, uttering false documents and conspiracy to defraud.

Earlier, DCI director Mohamed Amin ordered detectives to crack down on criminal cartels suspected of smuggling NCPB fertiliser to neighbouring countries and interfering with operations of the produce board.

"Criminal cartels lodged in this county have infiltrated the NCPB and are shamelessly smuggling government's subsidized fertilizer to neighbouring countries," Mohamed Amin noted.

"This is denying our farmers the opportunity to increase production, which is a sabotage to the government's efforts of reviving the economy."

Following the information, the DCI boss directed all security operators and customs officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to intensify the crackdown on the Kenya- Uganda border.

According to Mohamed Amin, the cartel was using the Suam border which links Kenya to Uganda to perpetrate the illegalities.