Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi is on the spot once again after Fertiliser donated by Russia to Kenya went missing before reaching the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
According to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, 564.1 metric tonnes of raw fertiliser worth approximately Ksh197 million was donated by Russia to Kenya to gain Kenya’s support in the ongoing war.
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Reports indicate that tension has risen between the two nations due to the disappearance of the consignment with Russia raising suspicions of possible theft by government officials.
The missing fertiliser consignment was part of a larger donation of 34,400 tonnes of raw fertiliser material from Russia as part of Russia’s strategy to gain African support amid its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
“NCPB received 33,835.9 metric tonnes, hence a short landing of 564.1 metric tonnes from the 34,400 metric tonnes donated by Russia. The cause of the short landing was not explained.”
The missing fertiliser fuels the tension between Kenya and Russia. The initial friction between Kenya and Russia was triggered by Nairobi’s support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia despite Russia support towards Kenya.
However, the NCPB has failed to provide a comprehensive financial report on the cost of purchasing and importing the fertiliser used in President William Ruto’s fertiliser subsidy programme.
“Other costs associated with the raw material of fertilizer such as shipping cost, transportation cost from the port to the granulator, and handling costs were not disclosed and therefore it is not clear how much the Board was incurring per 50 kg bag.”
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This mounts more pressure to Agriculture CS who has been criticised for fake fertiliser that was exposed few months ago with the senate rubbishing his Impeachment over lack of enough grounds to trigger it.