This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, a local TV station exposed the shocking truth that many supermarkets in Kenya were using chemicals to preserve their meat, sparking widespread panic among consumers.
Naivas, one of the leading retail chains in the country, was quick to respond to the allegations, with Willie Kimani, the company's Commercial Officer, dismissing claims that they use cancer-causing chemicals to preserve meat.
However, lab tests conducted in Machakos revealed the presence of harmful additives in meat sold at Naivas supermarkets, prompting Governor Alfred Mutua to take swift action.
On Thursday, July 18, 2019, Governor Mutua ordered the closure of the meat sections in all Naivas stores in the county, citing the need to protect consumers.
According to a laboratory report, a sample of meat sold at the Naivas supermarket at Gateway Mall in Mavoko had 3,286 milligrams of an additive that should not be used on meat.
Dr. Mutua directed that the meat/butchery sections of all Naivas stores in Machakos county be closed immediately, suspecting that the supplier of meat at all Naivas supermarkets in Machakos County was the same entity.
