KENYA – Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has recovered 1,511 bags of expired powdered milk worth over US$545,652 at a go-down in Nairobi, the country’s capital city.
According to the Directorate, the consignment of unaccustomed expired milk powder had previously been declared unfit for human consumption at the port of Mombasa.
“The illegal shipment in which the government lost over US$232,811 in unpaid taxes was immediately declared unfit for human consumption by officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS),” DCI stated.
The directorate said the consignment was suspected to be sneaked from a Mombasa-based godown, before being hauled to Nairobi secretly for repackaging, to be sold to unsuspecting members of the public.
“After raiding the premise, we found 25 kg bags with labels detailing their expiry dates removed and were ready for repackaging.”
The situation is said to have left the government with the mind-bending question of how the consignment ended up at the go down despite it being unaccustomed.
“We thank the member of the public who provided information regarding the consignment and call upon the larger public to emulate this example, for our collective safety and security,” said the DCI boss.
The Directorate is currently on investigations to find the party behind the high-level scheme which would have had devastating consequences on the health of Kenyans, had the powdered milk found its way to the local market.
Kenya suspends issuing export permits for Ugandan milk powder
Meanwhile, the Ugandan Development Authority (DDA) has confirmed that Kenyan authorities are no longer issuing export permits for Ugandan milk powder.
According to the executive director of DDA, Samson Akankiza, Kenya could be using that to protect the local market, as they have seen a reduction in the export of powder milk despite lifting an earlier ban put in place by KDB.
“Uganda’s milk powder is being denied export permits by the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) with other products that get licenses being delayed from getting to the market Mr Benson Mwangi,” the general manager of Brookside’s operation in Uganda reported.
“We continue to grapple with non-issuance and sometimes delays of issuance of export permits by the Kenya Dairy Board.”
Several trade issues have so far been ironed out between the two countries but the matter of milk imports is yet to be agreed upon.
However, the latest standoff on imports revives a long-standing trade war on milk between Kenya and Uganda, which in 2020 saw Nairobi confiscate thousands of milk consignments from the neighbouring nation.
Last year, Kenya was supposed to send a delegation to Uganda on a fact-finding mission but that is yet to see the light of day.
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