Sh1.4 billion fertiliser that landed Kebs bosses in trouble

Two men spotted pushing a handcart loaded with fertiliser at a tea buying center in Mathira, Nyeri County on July 12,20126.

The clearance of Sh1.4 billion fertiliser said to have failed quality tests is behind the troubles of Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) top officials.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji recommended that Kebs officials and nine other suspects be charged in court with attempted murder, aiding the commission to a felony, abuse of office, breach of trust and selling substandard goods.

The DPP said there was also enough evidence to charge the fertiliser’s importers, OCP (K) Ltd, and the firm’s directors.

Kebs is said to have released 5.8 million tonnes of imported fertiliser last January 24 to OCP (K) Limited amid reports that samples had failed to meet the required local standards.

Last week, Igembe North MP Maoka Maore tabled before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives a report showing that the fertiliser failed to meet the required percentage vital phosphates, nitrogen and sulphur.

In the report by Kebs, the consignment from Morocco was tested in February and had 0.33 mercury content instead of the required maximum of 0.1.

A woman was signed as the contact customer.

Tests on another consignment indicated that it contained 13.2 nitrogen instead of 1.1.

The standards agency Managing Director Charles Ongwae was expected to table a report before the the committee chaired by Kieni MP Kanini Kega today, but was arrested on Friday.

But OCP Kenya Ltd says it is surprised by the accusations leveled against it and its directors, arguing that it complied fully with local and international standards.

“We reject these claims in their entirety, as they reflect neither the commercial practices nor the rigorous quality-assurance processes to which OCP Kenya adheres. Indeed, OCP Kenya complied fully with Kenyan procedures and regulations in place in connection with the cargo targeted by this action,” said a statement by the company.

The firm says its cargo's compliance with procedures and regulations had been “indisputably confirmed by independent expert analyses performed by several internationally renowned inspection agencies."

The firm further insists that it “strictly observes the highest national and international legal standards and best practices" in its operations worldwide.

The say its fertilisers have been successful in the country, and that these have been adapted to local soils and crops following tests conducted in cooperation with Kenyan researchers.

“While we intend to actively and fully cooperate with the Kenyan authorities in connection with this matter, we reserve our rights to take legal action against the parties behind these baseless and opportunistic accusations,” states the firm.