Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has ordered intensified nationwide inspections of agrovet shops as the Government steps up efforts to curb the sale and use of illegal, counterfeit and unsafe pesticides in Kenya.
Kagwe said Kenya would not allow pesticides that have been banned in other countries over health and safety concerns to find their way into the local market.
Speaking during engagements between the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in Malindi, the CS called for tougher controls from the country’s borders to agrovet shelves.
“My pronouncement is clear: a pesticide banned anywhere in the world will be banned in Kenya,” Kagwe said.
He further called for harmonised pesticide regulations within the East African Community (EAC), arguing that products prohibited in one member state should not be allowed to enter another market.
“Within our region, if a product is banned in any one country, it should be banned in all countries within the EAC, and we are pushing for the same position across COMESA,” he said.
Kagwe said the Government has a responsibility to protect farmers and consumers from pesticides that could pose serious health risks, particularly where scientific evidence has established concerns linked to prolonged exposure and certain cancers.
The tougher regulatory approach comes as the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) reports a significant decline in unauthorised and smuggled pesticides entering the country.
PCPB Chief Executive Officer Fredrick Muchiri said the regulator has recorded an estimated 95 per cent reduction in illegal pesticide imports following increased surveillance at border points and ports.
Muchiri said PCPB officers are now permanently deployed at 10 major gazetted points of entry, compared with 2024 when the regulator did not have officers permanently stationed at entry points.
He said enhanced surveillance along porous border sections, including the Loitoktok area, has also helped disrupt routes previously used by smugglers.
“We have strengthened surveillance at the major points of entry and are also monitoring porous border areas to close routes used to smuggle unauthorised pesticides into the country,” Muchiri said.
The PCPB has also been directed to intensify inspections of agrovet outlets across the country to ensure pesticides being sold to farmers are registered, genuine, compliant with regulations and within their approved shelf life.
Expired, counterfeit, smuggled and unauthorised products discovered during inspections are to be removed from the market, with enforcement action taken against those responsible.
The regulator is also deploying spectrometer technology to help identify counterfeit and non-conforming pesticide products.
According to PCPB, more than 80 per cent of cases arising from pesticide-related arrests have so far been successfully prosecuted.
Enforcement officers are also undergoing specialised training at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Training School to strengthen their capacity in investigations, evidence collection and prosecution of offenders.
The crackdown follows a scientific review by PCPB that resulted in the withdrawal of 77 end-use pesticide products from the Kenyan market.
The review examined 430 products, with 202 restricted for use on various crops while 151 were placed under further review.
Kagwe said Kenya should not become a destination for products that have been rejected in other countries, adding that stronger regional cooperation would prevent banned pesticides from simply being diverted to neighbouring markets.
