In an unprecedented turn of events, Kenyan farmers took their grievances across continents, confronting President William Ruto during his visit to the United States. Their outcry stemmed from the harrowing ordeal of losing substantial investments after falling victim to a rampant fake fertilizer scam back home.
Gathered outside an event venue where President Ruto was scheduled to speak, a group of Kenyan farmers seized the opportunity to air their grievances directly to one of the country’s top political figures. With emotions running high, they recounted their distressing experiences of investing their hard-earned money in what they believed to be legitimate fertilizers, only to discover that they had been duped by counterfeit products.
Among the aggrieved farmers was a smallholder farmer from the Rift Valley region, who shared his anguish at losing over Ksh250,000 in a futile attempt to boost his maize crop yields ahead of the planting season. “We trusted the suppliers, but they betrayed us with fake fertilizers that left our fields barren and our pockets empty,” He larmented, echoing the sentiments of many others who had fallen prey to the elaborate scam.