Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago has threatened to take the Ministry of Agriculture to court over sub-standard fertiliser. This comes after some farmers in the North Rift complained that their maize had turned yellowish shortly after germination. The farmers blamed the discoloration on the fertiliser used during planting.
The governor said he would seek legal redress if soil-testing proves that the fertiliser used by farmers to plant maize in the current season is sub-standard.
Rono Mondet and Nehemiah Chepkeitany are among the farmers in the region, whose maize crops have changed colour. "We are wondering what happened to our maize because we use the same fertiliser and have never experienced the challenge. We have also done soil-sampling," said Mr Mondet.
He said they are anticipating poor yields following the discoloration and want the Government to ensure the same is not repeated during the wheat planting season.
Mr Chepkeitany said middlemen might have adulterated the fertiliser before selling it to farmers.
The governor said soil-testing should be conducted by experts to determine if the discoloration is linked to the fertiliser used.
"We have received several complaints from farmers of their maize turning yellow and this is a serious problem," said Governor Mandago.
He said the affected farmers should be compensated, and added that the issuing of sub-standard fertiliser from ministry officials would be negligence. "This is one of the reasons why the ongoing construction of a fertiliser manufacturing plant in Kesses should be hastened," said the county boss.
He said the plant would alleviate farmers' woes because soil would be tested first before fertiliser is produced.
North Rift Farmers Association Director Kipkorir Menjo said the problem had affected the entire region and blamed the first batch of subsidised fertiliser issued to farmers for the discoloration. "I have received several complaints from farmers and it clearly shows something might have been wrong with the fertiliser used," he said.
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