Kenyan top brass charged over fertiliser
NAIROBI - A Kenyan magistrate’s court yesterday charged the head of the state-run standards body, VeYeQ oWKeU offiFiDlV DQd Wwo businessmen with attempted murder for allowing the importation of substandard fertiliser containing mercury.
.enya has been hit by a series of scandals involving bogus tenders and suppliers that the authorities say led to the theft of hundreds of millions of shillings from government bodies by state officials.
2n )riday, police arrested &harles 2ngwae, managing director of the .enya %ureau of 6tandards¶ .(%6 , and the other officials after finding that the fertiliser imported from 0orocco was approved for sale despite failing .(%6¶s standards.
7he 2ffice of the 'irector of 3ublic 3rosecutions said on 7witter they were charged with attempted murder over the importation of , , bags of substandard fertiliser.
$ charge sheet presented in court by the prosecutor¶s office said the fertiliser contained mercury.
.(%6 is responsible for checNing the standard of goods entering the country.
(ight of the defendants appeared before .enneth &heruiyot, senior principal magistrate in Nairobi, and pleaded not guilty. 7wo others were not present in court.
7he prosecutor¶s office said they were also charged with procurement of faNe standardisation sticNer marNs worth 86 . million, aiding the commission of felony, breach of trust and abuse of office.
3resident 8huru .enyatta vowed to stamp out corruption when he was first elected in but critics say he has been slow to go after top officials and ministers.
.enyatta, who was elected for a second term last year, has spoNen out recently against graft and urged the Mudiciary “to ensure fair trials and justice.´ –R EUTERS.