Tempers Flare Up As Defiant Director Dodges MPs' Questions On Fake Fertiliser Scandal: "Ask KEBs"

• The Agriculture and Livestock departmental committee grilled the director of SBL Innovate, the company behind a fertiliser brand flagged as fake
• Josia Kariuki sought to absolve his company, laying the blame on the side of the government agencies that the company partnered with
• He was kicked out of the committee meeting alongside his lawyers after he was deemed arrogant and dishonest

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Director of SBL Innovate Josiah Kariuki has irked the members of the National Assembly departmental committee on Agriculture while appearing before it recently.

The company is linked with a fertiliser brand, BL-GPC Original, which the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) recalled from the market claiming it was substandard.

How company CEO countered MPs' questions

The committee under the leadership of its chair John Mutunga sought his side of the story days after KEBS revoked the standardisation marks of the brand.

Kariuki was evasive in his responses to the tough questions, touching the nerves of the committee members.

He often referred the members to KEBS and the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) whose depots had stocked the fertiliser in question.

For instance, he evaded the question on his company failing to have written contracts with the government agencies.

In his defence, Kariuki implied KEBs and NCPB were the ones to blame.

Fed up with his dodging of the questions, the committee ordered him out of the meeting.

Video; courtesy

Court comes to Kariuki's rescue

This came days after Kairuki was cushioned against being arrested by the High Court.

Through his lawyers led by Danstan Omari, the director sought anticipatory bail.

Justice Kavedza went ahead to grant him his prayer.

The judge issued the KSh 100,000 anticipatory bail while certifying the matter as urgent.

Even with the bail, the state investigative organs and law enforcement agents were free to investigate him, the judge ruled.

KEBS recalled bags of the fertiliser brand from the market after a quality assessment suggested it did not meet standards.

What were KEBs findings on BL-GPC Original fertiliser?

Appearing before the foregoing committee on March 20, KEBS managing director Esther Ngari revealed that BL-GPC Original fertiliser was not organic and had counterfeited its standardisation marks.

While fertiliser should be 70% organic matter, KEBS established that the fertiliser in question was only 40% organic and contained diatomaceous elements.

Over 5,800 bags of the product were recalled from the market.

According to Ngari, the fertiliser stocked by NCPB did not meet the quality standards after being sampled.

She further revealed that SBL Innovate fraudulently acquired the licence to stock and supply it via the NCPB depots.