- Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe has condemned the looting of government-supplied fertiliser, calling it an attack on Kenya’s farmers and economy.
- Over 7,000 bags, worth nearly Ksh30 million, were stolen during recent unrest.
- Kagwe says such destruction threatens the current planting season and could worsen food insecurity.
- He urged police to find the suspects and warned against criminal acts being hidden behind protests.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe didn’t hold back as he responded to reports that tonnes of government fertiliser had been looted from a storage facility. In a statement Friday, he said those involved were not demonstrating but committing crimes against ordinary farmers.
Fertiliser Stolen, Farmers at Risk
According to the Ministry, more than 7,300 bags of fertiliser were taken, each weighing 50kg and worth over Ksh29.5 million in total. That fertiliser was part of a critical distribution plan meant to help farmers during the ongoing planting season. Its loss could hit food and cash crop production hard.
Kagwe warned that the theft would have consequences far beyond the warehouse. It could set off a chain reaction, starting with lower yields and ending in higher food prices and more families going hungry. “We are not just talking about property,” he said. “We’re talking about food.”
He acknowledged that protests are a right, but reminded the public that not everything done during protests is lawful. “Just as police violence must be condemned, so must the looting of public supplies,” Kagwe said, adding that protest should never be an excuse for destroying what the country depends on.
Kagwe closed his statement with an appeal for restraint and unity. He said Kenya’s democracy should never be turned into a stage for chaos or violence, and asked police to move quickly to track down the stolen fertiliser and hold those behind the theft accountable.
