Senior Government Officials Flee After Protest Disrupts Destruction of Contraband Rice in Eldoret
However, the exercise was disrupted when hundreds of angry and violent youths attacked the scene, pelting stones at the officials and law enforcement officers.
Uasin Gishu County Commander Eddyson Nyale. Photo/Uasin Gishu.
By Jessica Nyaboke
Senior national government officials, including Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director Esther Ngari and Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Eddyson Nyale, were forced to flee for their lives after a mission to destroy contraband rice worth Ksh 1.5 million turned chaotic at Huruma dumpsite in Eldoret.
The officials, accompanied by KEBS North Rift Regional Manager Vincent Rotich, had gathered to oversee the burning of 546 bags of rice, each weighing 25 kg, that had been condemned as unfit for human consumption.
However, the exercise was disrupted when hundreds of angry and violent youths attacked the scene, pelting stones at the officials and law enforcement officers.
Police officers fired live bullets into the air in an attempt to disperse the unruly crowd, but the situation escalated, forcing the officials to flee on foot.
The exercise was suspended indefinitely due to security concerns as the officials retreated to their vehicles.
During the melee, a female police officer sustained serious injuries to her left hand and stomach and was rushed to a private hospital in Eldoret, where she is reportedly in critical condition.
The youths were reportedly infuriated by the decision to destroy the rice instead of donating it to the local community, despite it being deemed unfit for consumption.
Managing Director Ngari explained that the consignment had been seized from a trader’s store in Eldoret following a tip-off from the public.
“A multi-agency team, including KEBS, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Kenya Anti-Counterfeit Agency, and the police, confiscated the imported rice last week. The rice failed aflatoxin tests and was declared unfit for human consumption,” Ngari stated.
Ngari revealed that the team had only managed to destroy 50 bags of rice before the protest forced the exercise to stop.
She warned residents against consuming the seized rice, emphasizing the health risks associated with the high aflatoxin levels detected in the consignment.
The County Commissioner condemned the violent incident and announced that the mission to destroy the remaining rice, currently stored at his office, had been suspended as they work on a new strategy to ensure public safety.
“We will not allow the public to be exposed to poisonous foodstuffs. The destruction will resume under improved security arrangements,” the Commissioner said.
The contraband rice is part of a larger consignment of over 1,000 bags seized in Nairobi earlier this year.
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