Kenya’s Border Crackdown Cuts Illegal Pesticide Imports by 95% as Nationwide Agrovet Inspections Intensify
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 28 – Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has drawn a hard line on pesticide safety, declaring that Kenya will not allow pesticides banned elsewhere over health and safety concerns to find a market in the country, as his ministry intensifies enforcement from border points to agrovet shelves.
“My pronouncement is clear: a pesticide banned anywhere in the world will be banned in Kenya. 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,” Kagwe said.
The CS said Kenya must protect both farmers and consumers from potentially harmful chemicals, particularly where scientific evidence points to serious health risks, including concerns over long-term exposure and certain cancers.His tougher regulatory push is already being matched by increased enforcement.
The Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) has reported an estimated 95 per cent reduction in unauthorised and smuggled pesticides entering Kenya, with officers now deployed at 10 major gazetted border points and ports.
The new enforcement figures were presented by PCPB Chief Executive Officer Fredrick Muchiri during engagements between the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, led by CS Kagwe, in Malindi.Kagwe’s position builds on pesticide reforms already undertaken under his leadership.
Following a scientific review by PCPB, 77 end-use pesticide products were withdrawn from the Kenyan market, The review covered 430 end-use pesticide products, resulting in 77 being withdrawn and another 202 products being restricted on various crops, while 151 were placed under further review.
Kagwe said Kenya should not become a destination for products rejected elsewhere because of established health or environmental risks. He is pushing for the same principle to apply regionally so that a pesticide banned in one EAC or COMESA country cannot simply cross the border and be sold in another.
At the same time, the government has moved to reassure Kenyans that food being sold in Kenyan markets is safe, cautioning against reports that equate the mere detection of pesticide residues with unsafe food.
PCPB told Senators that food safety must be scientifically assessed against established Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and that detecting traces of a pesticide does not automatically mean that food is unsafe for consumption.
Muchiri challenged the interpretation of a recent report that had created the impression that about 78 per cent of sampled food was unsafe because pesticide residues had been detected.
According to PCPB, about 80 per cent of what was reported met the required standards, while 100 per cent of samples assessed against the applicable MRLs were within the prescribed safety limits.
The regulator maintained that claims that the tested food had generally exceeded established MRL safety thresholds were therefore not supported by the results presented.
The government’s tougher approach is also increasingly visible at Kenya’s borders.PCPB officers are now stationed at 10 major gazetted border points and ports, compared with 2024 when the regulator had no officers permanently deployed at points of entry.
The deployment, supported through Government and national security structures, has contributed to the estimated 95 per cent reduction in unauthorised and smuggled pesticides entering the country.
Surveillance is also being strengthened along porous sections of the border, including around Loitoktok, to close routes used to bring illegal products into Kenya.
But the crackdown is no longer stopping at the border.PCPB has intensified inspections of agrovets across the country, targeting the pesticide distribution chain to establish whether products being sold to farmers are registered, genuine, compliant and within their approved shelf life.
Expired, counterfeit, smuggled, unauthorised and other non-conforming pesticides found on agrovet shelves are removed from the market and enforcement action taken. Inspectors are also deploying spectrometer technology to analyse products and help identify counterfeit and non-conforming pesticides being offered to farmers.
Muchiri said the tougher enforcement is translating into prosecutions, with more than 80 per cent of cases arising from arrests successfully prosecuted through the courts.
PCPB enforcement officers are also undergoing specialised training at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Training School to strengthen investigations, evidence gathering and preparation of cases for prosecution.
The Senate Agriculture Committee, led by Chairperson Sen. David Wakoli, was particularly keen that information on banned and restricted pesticides should reach farmers directly.
Senators pushed for farmers and county governments to have updated and easily accessible information on pesticides that have been banned, restricted or authorised, noting that farmers interact more frequently with county extension officers than national regulators.
PCPB has consequently begun training county agricultural extension officers on pesticide regulation, identification of illegal products, responsible pesticide use and food-safety requirements.
The extension officers will provide a frontline link between PCPB and farmers, helping them identify approved products and raising awareness about pesticides that have been withdrawn, restricted, smuggled or counterfeited.
Despite the gains, Muchiri told senators that funding and staffing remain major constraints.
PCPB’s Exchequer allocation has risen from approximately KSh 114 million in 2024 to KSh 216 million in the current financial year, while government intervention has expanded its approved staff establishment from about 60 officers to 275 positions.
