An exercise by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to dispose of substandard rice turned chaotic on Wednesday evening after residents and street children disrupted it in Huruma, Uasin Gishu County.
Why Eldoret locals disrupted rice destruction exercise
The group demanded the rice be handed over to them, forcing authorities to abandon the operation.
The tense situation unfolded as KEBS officials, led by Chief Executive Officer Esther Ngari, supervised the destruction of the rice under tight police security. However, the crowd quickly grew hostile, hurling stones at the officers and disrupting the exercise.
Police fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd, but the situation escalated, leaving one officer seriously injured after being struck by a stone. The injured officer was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
In the ensuing chaos, KEBS officials, journalists, and police officers were forced to flee the area for safety. The operation was halted, and 498 sacks of rice, which had not yet been destroyed, were transported back to Eldoret.
Before the disruption, 50 sacks of 25 kilograms each had already been destroyed. KEBS has now announced that the destruction of the remaining rice will be rescheduled and carried out in Eldoret on Friday under enhanced security measures.
Why KEBS was disposing off rice in Eldoret
According to KEBS, the rice in question was flagged for non-compliance with safety standards due to elevated levels of aflatoxins, which rendered it unfit for human consumption.
“KEBS remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that only high-quality and safe products are available to consumers. Through ongoing inspections and rigorous monitoring of both locally manufactured and imported products, KEBS guarantees adherence to established safety and quality standards,” the agency said in a post on its Facebook page.
