The Ministry of Agriculture has denied reports that a consignment of fertilizer donated by the Russian Government to Kenya cannot be traced.

In a statement released through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), the Ministry confirmed that the shipment was handed over to the NCPB, the agency responsible for receiving and distributing the fertilizer.

“NCPB has accounted for the entire quantity received and transported for blending and granulation purposes,” the statement said. The expected quantity of the donated consignment was 34,400 metric tonnes (MT). However, upon the ship’s landing and clearance, the amount handed over and received by NCPB was 33,835MT.

Reports had alleged that 564 tonnes of fertilizer from Russia had disappeared en route. According to NCPB, the received volume represented 98.36% of the quantity indicated in the ship’s manifest. “The resultant short landing was 1.64%. The allowed Tolerable Terminal loss within the shipping industry is 5%. Therefore, the percentage tolerable loss reported on the consignment (1.64%) is within the acceptable limit in the shipping industry,” the statement explained.

The Ministry emphasized that the fertilizer was donated on a delivery-to-port basis, meaning no shipping costs were incurred by the Kenyan Government.