The government has responded to allegations regarding the sale of fertiliser donated by Russia during the August 2023 Russia-Africa Summit, maintaining that the move was necessary to make the fertiliser usable for local farmers.
The clarification comes after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was recently impeached, accused the government of selling what was meant to be free farm input.
“The Russian government gave us 40,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser but the government blended and sold the donated fertiliser from Russia, which was processed and sold to Kenyans. The fertiliser that came from Russia, which was to be given free of charge, was sold to farmers,” Gachagua alleged.
He further claimed that the fertiliser was rebranded and sold at inflated prices: “These donations were handed to some companies and then resold to the government at market rates, pocketing billions.”
In response, the government confirmed it received 33,835 metric tonnes of fertiliser raw materials — approximately 676,700 50-kilogram bags — comprising Murate of Potash, Urea 46%N, and NPK 27:6:6:2S.
Officials explained that these raw materials were not suitable for direct application by farmers.
“It became prudent to blend the fertiliser raw materials into crop-specific blends to turn the fertiliser into forms that could be used directly by farmers, increase the quantity and fertiliser varieties suitable for various crop value chains to cover various crops grown nationally, including tea, rice, maize, and horticultural crops,” the government stated.
The blending process, they said, not only made the fertiliser usable but also increased the volume of fertiliser available, producing 103,350 metric tonnes — roughly 2.07 million 50-kilogram bags — of crop-specific fertilisers.
To achieve this, the government invited local manufacturers to bid for the blending and granulation process. The cost incurred included blending, adding additional raw materials and micronutrients, and transportation to National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
Following a competitive procurement process, Maisha Minerals and Fertilizers Limited was awarded the contract to blend and distribute the fertiliser under the National Fertilizer Subsidy Programme.
The government emphasized that all 2.07 million bags of the blended fertiliser were distributed to registered farmers across the country under the subsidy initiative, aiming to improve productivity and soil health nationwide.
