Parliamentary Committee on Trade has expressed concerns that 139 containers of cooking oil unfit for human consumption might have been sneaked into the Kenyan market.
The oil, which was stored at Mombasa Container Free Station, disappeared under unclear circumstances despite the authorities flagging the containers.
Speaking during an inspection tour at Mombasa CFS, the committee chair, Adan Hajj, called for the revocation of the CFS’s operating license, as the loss amounted to gross negligence.
“We ask the authorities revoke the license and the degazettement of the authorization to operate as a CFS for this particular facility,” said Adan.
The legislator further ordered for the declaration of the facility as a crime scene, urging the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and other customs authorities to immediately launch investigations into the matter.
Trade Committee member and Dagoreti South lawmaker, John Kiarie, questioned how flagged containers would disappear from a bonded warehouse.
“If this foodstuff has left a bonded warehouse, where did it end up? Chances are it ended up in your table and you are consuming poison,” said Kiarie.
The committee stormed the warehouse on November 17, 2021, after they learned that 88 containers had disappeared without the committee being informed.
However, authorities communicated to the committee that the owner of the consignments had given green light for the release of the 88 containers to soap manufacturers to avert total losses.
But to the shock of the committee and the owner of the CFS, the remaining 51 containers had disappeared without a trace.
The 139 oil containers were impounded at the Mombasa port following intel from custom authorities, which upon inspection was found to be fit for human consumption for lack of Vitamin A.
The Trade Committee spelled that they were on a mission to inspect more than 50 containers across the country which are believed to be holding harmful goods such as rice and sugar.
