The cereals board has denied ownership of 2,856 bags of contaminated maize found in its depot in Marsabit county. National Cereals and Produce Board spokesperson Titus Maiyo said the 90kg bags of maize, which had high levels of aflatoxin, belonged to the county government. He said the NCPB only leased out storage space to the county government. Residents had complained about the quality of maize distributed.
On Saturday, the Public Health department took samples of the maize and found the level of aflatoxin was eight times higher than the recommended limit and it also had weevils. The maize had aflatoxin levels of 83.1ppb (parts per billion) in com- parison to the recommended 10ppb.
The department condemned the maize and seized the 2,856 bags. Maiyo said the county govern- ment delivered 3,888, 90kg bags of maize to theNCPB Marsabit depot for storage and paid for it. “They man- age their consignment. They have already collected 1,032 bags from the stores, which they distributed to residents,” he said. Maiyo said public health officers also seized 254, 90kg bags of maize belonging to the county commis- sioner, which are part of the National Government Relief Food Stocks.
The Kenya Agricultural and Live- stock Research Organisation defines aflatoxin as a carcinogenic fungal toxin that has serious negative con- sequences on health, trade and food security. Over the years, the country has experienced multiple aflatoxi- cosis outbreaks, which often result in fatalities.
Kenya was mapped as an aflatoxin hotspot. Aflatoxin is a leading cause of liver cancer. Findings of a study released last month by ILRI showed a large amount of milk and grains consumed has aflatoxin levels exceeding internationally accepted limits.
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