Busia: The Pest Control Products Board has confiscated illegal pesticides valued at Sh200,000 and arrested six traders in connection with the sale of unregistered pest control products in Busia town. Speaking to the press after a successful crackdown, William Makonzo, an officer from the Pest Control Products Board, advised the local residents against buying such products from hawkers but instead to visit authorized and registered dealers.
According to Kenya News Agency, Makonzo added that the arrested persons will be taken to court and charged with the sale of unauthorized products in the country. "Those who have been arrested lack licenses to sell the products making it illegal. Some of these products come from some of our neighboring countries and they have not been authorized in our country," he said.
The official also underscored that the use of unauthorized products has a lot of harm both to the environment and lives of people, including triggering critical diseases like cancer in human bodies.
Nicholas Mwendo, another officer, stated that as the board they are helping to ascertain the quality of the pest product and that the use of unauthorized products will leave a negative impact on health. "There is an increase in the use of illegal public health products in our households and it is being used under the watch of children and other people, thereby risking the lives of these people. We also have those used in our farms and at the end, our land is affected much, thereby affecting the production of food and the environment at large," Mwendo said.
Mwendo further stated that the Board has ventured into various strategies to ensure that members of the public are not duped by unscrupulous traders into purchasing illegal products. "We are doing a lot of sensitization to all engaging in the business and use of the pest products. We are engaging in exhibitions where we train farmers as the users of these pesticides. We have also been doing awareness creation with the agencies that are found at the border points including KRA, KEPHIS, KEBS, and even police so that they can have enough knowledge and help us in ensuring the illegal pest products do not get in our country through our borders," he said.
Some of the confiscated products include mosquito nets, Mortein Doom, Sevin Dudu dust among others.