Farmers in Nyahururu, Laikipia County have raised alarm over what they describe as a well-coordinated cartel operating within the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depot in the area, with claims that a group of individuals is manipulating fertilizer distribution to profit at the expense of genuine farmers.
According to multiple sources, the scheme involves four individuals who consistently position themselves at the depot whenever a consignment of fertilizer arrives.
These individuals allegedly control how much fertilizer farmers can access, ensuring that they divert a substantial portion to private stores within Nyahururu town, where they later sell the commodity at inflated prices.
The depot manager is accused of facilitating this operation, effectively reducing the amount available to small-scale farmers, who are then forced to either go without or purchase at higher prices from the cartel’s private stock.
The situation has sparked frustration among farmers, who are demanding urgent action, including an immediate investigation into the Nyahururu depot and the removal of the manager alleged to be enabling the malpractice.
Beyond Nyahururu, concerns over corruption in fertilizer distribution at NCPB are not new.
The institution, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives is always entangled in scandals.
Just days ago, two suspects were arrested for allegedly repackaging and selling fake fertilizer to farmers in Molo and Kuresoi North sub-counties.
Authorities said the suspects had been using a local brand without a license and reselling the counterfeit product at inflated prices.
The Anti-Counterfeit Authority, working with law enforcement, seized 233 bags of the suspected fake fertilizer and transported them to an Eldoret government warehouse for further analysis.
The arrests have added to growing concerns over fraudulent activities in fertilizer distribution, with officials warning that such schemes undermine efforts to support farmers and ensure food security.
The 2024 fertilizer fraud case that led to the arrest and prosecution of former NCPB Managing Director Joseph Muna Kimote is also still fresh in the public’s memory.
Kimote, along with other senior officials, was charged with conspiracy to defraud farmers by supplying substandard fertilizer under misleading pretenses.
Investigators alleged that the officials engaged in fraudulent dealings that saw unsuspecting farmers purchase soil amendment and conditioner falsely presented as genuine fertilizer, resulting in financial losses and compromised agricultural yields.
With new allegations now emerging from Nyahururu, attention turns to NCPB’s senior leadership, including North Rift Regional Manager Gilbert Rotich and Acting Managing Director CPA Samuel Karogo Ndung’u.
Farmers and stakeholders are calling on the authorities to investigate whether similar fraudulent networks exist in other depots and whether senior officials have taken sufficient measures to prevent such malpractice.
The fertilizer subsidy programme is meant to cushion farmers against high production costs and ensure food security but if the claims made by farmers in Nyahururu are anything to go by, there are serious questions about the integrity of NCPB’s operations and the oversight mechanisms in place.
Farmers are now urging the government and anti-corruption agencies to act swiftly to dismantle what they believe is a deeply entrenched racket that threatens their livelihoods and undermines food security efforts in the country.
“Hi Cyprian, kindly hide my ID. In Nyahururu, there is a big cartel of fertilizer assisted by the current depot manager of Nyahururu NCPB depot. You find some four gentlemen always hovering around the depot every time a fertilizer consignment has arrived. They also dictate the quantity of fertilizer genuine farmers would get so that they take the rest and put it in some stores around Nyahururu town only for them to resell at 3000-3500 per bag. These guys have managed to get an allocation of between 1500-3000 bags per person, leading to small-scale and genuine farmers not getting the fertilizer. We ask for the removal of the said manager from the depot and also a quick investigation for sanity to prevail at this NCPB Nyahururu.”
