Governors step up campaign against illegal potato packaging

NAKURU, KENYA: Nakuru governor Kinuthia Mbugua and his Nyandarua counterpart Waithaka Mwangi took the fight against illegal packaging of potatoes to the roads on Tuesday night.

In the overnight operation along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu and the Nairobi-Nakuru highways over 50 trucks were nabbed for flouting the 50kg packaging law.

The governors who were accompanied by chief officers braved the chilly weather as they joined police officers in the operation that stretched for the better part of Tuesday night.

The governors who were joined by senior officers from Bomet and Narok counties vowed to bring back sanity in the sector that rakes Sh50 billion annually.

Mbugua said that the initiative was meant to enforce the Agricultural Food and Fisheries Act that stipulates how farm produce should be packaged.

Addressing the press during the night operation, Mbugua said that 12 potato growing counties had agreed to work together and make sure that the act was fully enforced.

"We have nabbed some trucks ferrying potatoes bags weighing 200kgs and this is against the law and the owners will be charged in court," he said.

He hit out at middlemen for the continued exploitation of farmers adding that some few traders had failed to comply with the act.

"The biggest challenge has been the packaging of potatoes but the 12 counties have agreed to erect roadblocks so that the law is observed," he said.

On his part, Mwangi said that long gone were days when farmers used to pack the produce in 200Kg bags and all should embrace the 50Kgs package as per the law.

The governor said that they were ready to enforce the law in Wakulima and Kongowea markets in Nairobi and Mombasa counties respectively.