Farmers warned over rising threat of counterfeit pesticides

Application of pesticides on a cabbage farm. [File, Standard]

Farmers have been asked to be vigilant while using pesticides on crops.

Speaking during a workshop organised by Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) at a Nairobi hotel, aak Grow CEO Joel Mutai said mechanisms should be put in place and surveillance intensified to identify counterfeit pesticides.

Mutai said climate change has caused rising temperatures that have led to increased growth of weevils, which destroy crops on farms.

"But, collaboration between private and public partnership is also crucial in the war against counterfeit pesticides," he said.

The risk of fake pesticides to consumers includes residues in food, water and soil, pollution, misuse of the products by farmers, biodiversity loss and reduced food productivity.

KEG CEO Linda Bach said Kenya should borrow a leaf from China, which has adopted modern farming technologies, to ensure maximum agricultural production.

Ben Ngige of aak Grow said agriculture contributes 22.5 per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 70 per cent of Kenyans in rural areas.

"We reach many farmers, train them, supply them with specialists to spray for them at a fee to get it all right, we also give farmers technical assistance, educate farmers on the use of pesticides to ensure quality production, awareness to inculcate behavioral change," said Ngige.

Meanwhile, the continued production and sale of expired, counterfeit and unregistered pesticides remains a major challenge in Kenya despite intensified enforcement by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), a new performance audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has revealed.

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The 2026 specialised audit on the regulations of pesticides found that while inspections of pesticide dealers increased significantly over the last four years, illegal pest control products continued to flood the market, exposing farmers, consumers and the environment to serious health and safety risks.

The audit was commissioned following persistent concerns raised by the media and Parliament over the widespread use of hazardous and banned pesticides in the country.