Crackdown on fake pesticides starts as pest control board nabs suspects

Government agencies have launched a  crackdown on fake pesticides stocks in the market.

 The crackdown was launched when the majority of Kenyans have shifted to organic foods owing to massive spraying of chemicals with unknown chemicals. 

The teams compromising officials from the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have been combing various parts of the country inspecting the pesticides sold in the market.

The teams have expressed shock on the nature of the products in the market some banned decades ago owing to their poison contents.

The operation targets pesticides sold in open air markets through hawking, distributed by cars to the stockists and temporary structures.

PCPB noted that the quality of pesticides sold in this manner cannot be guaranteed and they pose a risk to the public and the environment.

“The PCPB in collaboration with the DCI managed to arrest two suspects in Biashara Street, Mombasa town, selling fake pesticides, and pesticides that had not been registered in the country,” said PCPB’s regional manager Stanley Ng’ang’a.