The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) conducted an operation against what they termed illegal activities involving cement.
The two state bodies said that the operation was launched after numerous public complaints concerning the quality and quantity of cement in circulation.
“Following numerous complaints by members of the public, especially the end users of cement, concerning the quality and quantity of various brands in the market, an intelligence-led market surveillance was conducted by a multi-agency team that has established the extent of these illegal cement activities, which include:
“The manufacture and sale of counterfeit and substandard cement; siphoning of cement from properly packaged bags that end up being underweight; adulteration of genuine cement with the introduction of pozzolanic dust, which reduces the quality; transportation and distribution of the substandard cement; and illegal production of empty bags belonging to major brands to facilitate packaging,” a statement by DCI said.
Arrests
On December 20, 2024, KEBS officers and the DCI Operations Support Unit conducted the operation targeting the hotspots where they believe these illegal activities are carried out, mostly in Athi River, Syokimau, and Kitengela.
“The officers managed to arrest 13 suspects involved in these illegal activities and intercepted 8 lorries found loaded with bags of cement from the major brands, which were being siphoned and repackaged, thus interfering with the quality of the products for more profits.
“Such illegal activities by greedy businesspersons jeopardize the safety of Kenyans, especially the millions who live in rental apartments, given the many tragic incidents of collapsed buildings,” the statement added.
DCI continued to say that the suspects nabbed in the crackdown will be processed and arraigned on Monday, December 23, 2024, and that the operation will be extended to other parts of the country.
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