Kenyans charged for interfering with illicit powdered milk

KENYA – In Kenya, Joseph Ndungu Guchecha, Ramadhan Kariuki Gitau, Edwin Wanjala Barasa, and Francis Kyalo Mwandandu, along with others, have been charged with allegedly interfering with and stealing 1,511 bags of condemned powdered milk, each weighing 25 kg.

The milk had been seized for destruction under customs control but was allegedly handled without the authority of the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control.

According to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), the incident occurred on May 3, 2023, at Sambot Ship’s Contractors in Mombasa County.

Ramadhan was charged with the additional offense of having 1,511 bags containing 25kgs of condemned powdered milk.

This case revealed the severity of the illicit milk trade in Kenya, prompting stringent government measures to curb such practices.

Previously, the Milimani Magistrates Court in Nairobi authorized the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to dispose of a significant consignment of contraband milk powder seized from a building in Eastleigh Estate, Starehe Sub-County.

This followed a raid on February 13, 2024, where various brands of uncustomed milk powder were found.

The court’s order allowed for the forfeiture and disposal of the seized products under sections 215 and 217 (2)(a) of the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004.

Among the confiscated items were 250 tins of 2.5kg milk powder, 74 tins of 800 grams, 38 cans of 400 grams, and 408 tins of another 400 grams of milk powder brand.

In another instance, Operations Support Unit (OSU) detectives seized over 32.5 tonnes of contraband milk powder from a godown along the Eastern Bypass in Nairobi.

The operation began with an undercover detective posing as a buyer, led by an unsuspecting broker from Eastleigh to the Kamakis area. A truck carrying 150 bags of the contraband milk powder was intercepted, with the transaction valued at Ksh2,475,000.

Additionally, a trader arrested on February 14, 2024, for possessing contraband milk powder pleaded guilty on April 17, 2024, and was fined Sh235,000.

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