Puzzle of 200 containers of bad maize seized in Mombasa
Some of the 202 containers of bad maize that were seized by Special Crimes and Prevention Unit officers in Changamwe, Mombasa on November 15, 2018. PHOTO | MOHAMED AHMED | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Special crimes source says containers were transported from Mozambique and came through Mombasa port last year.
- Officer says Kebs declared grains unfit for human consumption.
More than 200 containers of bad maize worth millions of shillings have been seized in Changamwe, Mombasa County.
Officers from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SCPU) found the 202 containers at a freight station where suspected contraband goods had been seized earlier.
"We have been instructed not to talk about [the containers] as the owner is an influential person," said an officer who requested anonymity.
Sources from the SCPU said the containers from Mozambique got into the country through the Mombasa port in September last year.
"The maize arrived and Kebs (Kenya Bureau of Standards) declared it unfit for human consumption but the owner has been trying to sneak the grains to the market," said the source, who linked the consignment to a top government official.
Documents obtained by the Nation indicate that Mahindra and Mahindra South Africa PTY Limited, a company based in Nairobi, imported the cargo from Mozambique Fertilizer Company LDA
He revealed that the owner has been in negotiations with millers to sell the grains at a throw away price of Sh1,000 per bag.
The source said each container has 520 bags of maize.
