Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has distanced itself from the seized fertilizer in various National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots across the country.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari stated that the fertilizer in question, which has been flagged as being unsuitable for use, is neither certified by KEBS nor in the government subsidy program.
"The product being distributed is not certified by KEBS. The product is not in the government subsidy Program as per the information we have," Ngari stated.
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According to Ngari, the product which KEBS initially certified is different from what has been seized from NCPB depots condemned as substandard and counterfeited.
She explained that KEBS had signed a certification contract or the Scheme of Supervision and Control with a firm called SBL-Innovate Manufacturers Limited on January 25, 2023, after the company applied for certification of its products on January 4, 2023.
"The Certification Contract or Scheme of Supervision and Control (SSC) as signed is a commitment by the manufacturer to adhere and meet all the requirements of the applicable standard and terms and conditions of certification and to manufacture quality products in the validity period of the Standardization mark Permi," Ngari said.
KEBS action
However, she revealed that following complaints from the public, KEBS recently found out that SBL-Innovate Manufacturers Limited had breached the contract.
"Our investigations revealed that SBL-Innovate Manufacturers Limited engaged in misuse of the KEBS Standardization Mark on a product that was not certified by KEBS. The company displayed the mark on a product that had not undergone the mandatory certification process as stipulated by the Standards Act and governed by the applicable standard," she added.
Ngari says following the revelations, they have suspended the Standardization Mark Number 60392 which was issued for organic fertilizer.
KEBS says that all unauthorized products from the company found in NCPB depots have been seized to prevent further distribution.
"KEBS has initiated legal proceedings against SBL-Innovate Manufactures Limited to hold them accountable for this violation. The product by the SBL-Innovate Manufacturers Limited is not on a government subsidy program because it failed in the labelling requirements of similar subsidy products.," she added.
The substandard fertiliser is reported to have been sold to farmers in the last year, resulting in reduced productivity.
Following the incident, KEBS says it has instituted tight measures to ensure quality agricultural inputs including fertilizers.
"Kenya Bureau of Standards has instituted a robust framework in ensuring quality agricultural inputs including fertilizers. This is under the framework of Standardization, Metrology and Conformity Assessment Kenya Standards which are the basis of evaluation of commodities manufactured and certified for sale in the Kenyan Market," Ngari added.
Additional reporting by Festus Lagat.
