An insecticide is mixed to be sprayed. [Getty Images]
The continued production and sale of expired, counterfeit and unregistered pesticides remains a major challenge in Kenya despite intensified enforcement by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), a new performance audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has revealed.
The 2026 specialised audit on the regulations of pesticides found that while inspections of pesticide dealers increased significantly over the last four years, illegal pest control products continued to flood the market, exposing farmers, consumers and the environment to serious health and safety risks.
The audit was commissioned following persistent concerns raised by the media and Parliament over the widespread use of hazardous and banned pesticides in the country. Legislators have repeatedly questioned the Ministry of Agriculture on measures to withdraw banned pesticide products from the market and strengthen enforcement.
According to the report, inspections of premises handling pesticides rose by 76 percent, from 6,322 in the 2021/22 financial year to 11,150 in 2024/25. During the same period, the quantity of expired, counterfeit and unregistered pesticides seized increased dramatically from 902 kilograms to 28,617 kilograms.
The report further faults the PCPB for failing to revoke licenses of businesses convicted of selling illegal pesticides, allowing them to continue operating and increasing the risk of repeat offences.
“Over the audit period, the number of expired, counterfeit and unregistered pest control products impounded by the Board increased from 902 Kilograms in the financial year 2021/2022 to 28,617 Kilograms in the financial year 2024/2025. This was as a result of increased inspections. However, this also indicated that increased inspections were not a deterrent to production and sale of such products. Further, despite the Board impounding the products and securing convictions, the Board did not revoke the premises' certificates, thereby sustaining the risk of repeat offences and the continued sale of illegal products,” read the report in part.
The audit also found weak follow-up enforcement after inspections, revealing that nearly half of the agro-dealers surveyed had not received any follow-up inspections during the 2024/25 financial year, while many inspections that did occur exceeded the regulatory deadline of 60 days. The Board was also found to lack a structured follow-up inspection framework.