- Detectives raid a suspected counterfeit flour operation in Kasarani
- Thousands of branded packets and packaging equipment recovered
- Authorities move to test the seized flour and verify affected brands
Detectives have dismantled a suspected counterfeit maize flour racket in Kasarani, raising food safety fears amid an anticipated shortage.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) disclosed the bust in a statement released on September 15. According to the agency, officers raided a godown in the area and stumbled upon an extensive scheme built around repurposing plain maize flour into packets branded to mimic well-known market names.
Seven people were arrested at the scene and booked for further processing as detectives widen their probe into the wider network believed to be behind the racket.
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The haul from the godown was substantial. Officers recovered 3,682 packets bearing the branding of one popular corn maize flour label, with an estimated value of about Ksh312,120. Alongside these, hundreds more packets carrying the identities of three other established flour brands were also seized, pushing the overall worth of the counterfeit stock into the hundreds of thousands of shillings.
Beyond the packaged flour, investigators impounded a lorry that was in the process of being loaded with the products at the time of the raid. The scene also yielded industrial processing and packaging machinery, weighing scales, tools for sealing bags, and stamps used to imprint dates and batch numbers onto packets. Detectives said the presence of this equipment signalled a well-organised repackaging enterprise rather than a small, informal setup.
Among the items recovered were discarded one-kilogram packets closely mirroring the branding of one of the affected flour companies. Investigators flagged this as suspicious, noting that the brand in question does not manufacture flour in one-kilogram packaging at all, a detail that strengthens suspicion that the packets were part of a deliberate attempt to exploit the reputation of an established name.
Representatives from the affected flour companies are expected to visit the DCI to help verify the seized items. The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has also been drawn into the investigation, tasked with sampling and testing the recovered products to establish their composition and safety.
By Benedict Aoya
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