By Getrude Matayo,
Contraband rice and Spaghetti worth 10 million shillings have been destroyed by a multi-agency team comprising DCI detectives, KRA officials, and the Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS) on Thursday 10th September.
The Ziana Spaghetti includes 58 tons and 6 tons of rice imported from overseas through the port but hit expiry date while still in the storage at a warehouse in Shimanzi.
The underwent KEBS’s requisite testing and were deemed unfit for human consumption and consequently destroyed in a legal procedure supervised by coat official on Thursdays.
Speaking after supervising the destruction at the former Kibarani dumpsite, regional coordinator John Elungata said the goods were legally imported but expired while in the storage at various warehouses.
The consignment imported from Italy in 2018 was intercepted in June 2019 by a multi-agency team and had been sored at various warehouses in Mombasa awaiting destruction.
“These goods were legally imported but expired while in the storage”, Elungata said.
The regional boss said the war on contraband will be won if the public cooperates with the government agencies by exposing them.
The substandard human foods comprised of 5,857 cartons of spaghetti and over 6,200kgs of Rice.
The regional boss has warned traders against repacking expired food products and releasing them in the market saying they pose a grave danger to consumers. It is believed that the goods were waiting to be repackaged before hitting the market afresh.
According to KEBS regional manager Cyrus Wambari, the agency has heightened surveillance on illegal goods. He said the agency responded to intercept the consignment after a tip-off from the storage facility.