Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were directed on Tuesday, April 30, to arrest a criminal gang suspected of smuggling National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) fertiliser to neighbouring countries.
Speaking at a police camp in Trans Nzoia county, DCI boss Mohamed Amin noted that criminal cartels were interfering with the operations of the NCPB.
Following the information, the DCI boss directed all security operators and customs officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to intensify the crackdown on the Kenya- Uganda border.
According to Mohamed Amin, the cartel was using the Suam border which links Kenya to Uganda to perpetrate the illegalities.
"Criminal cartels lodged in this county have infiltrated the NCPB and are shamelessly smuggling government's subsidized fertilizer to neighbouring countries," Mohamed Amin noted.
"This is denying our farmers the opportunity to increase production, which is a sabotage to the government's efforts of reviving the economy," he added.
Similarly, Amin directed detectives to decisively take action on cattle rustlers, especially in the bandit-prone North Rift regions.
The DCI boss issued the orders while in the company of the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome. The police bosses held meetings with different police camps including Anti-theft police.
The move comes barely six weeks since Amin visited the North Rift regions to assess the security situation and take stock of the challenges faced by officers in executing their mandate.
The latest directives come weeks after Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi warned NCPB officials against soliciting bribes from farmers for fertilisers.
"I want to give the officials a warning who are soliciting bribes from farmers in exchange for fertilisers I've heard that you're asking for Sh500 extra for a bag of fertiliser," Sudi noted during a church service on March 11.
The MP noted he had received uproar from farmers who claimed they were facing numerous challenges in accessing the government's subsidised fertiliser.
