Suspects in Counterfeit Cement Saga Freed on Bail

A court released 14 suspects arrested in the alleged supply of counterfeit cement and disposing of counterfeit cement in the course of trade contrary to Section 32(g) as read with Section 35(i) of the Anti-Counterfeit Act No. 13 of 2008.

The 14 suspects include Patrick Munyasia Mbusya, Josephine Mwalimu Kanyiva, Joseph Kennedy Omanyala, Philip Ndegwa Owino, Jacob Iyadi Wambulwa, Kennedy Wambua Kilonzo, Edwin Kiprotich Bett, Muema Kimuu Mwanzia, George Kiarie Kinyanjui, James Charles Mureithi, Christopher Kyalo Kilonzo, Mason Wekesa Muringamu, Felix Mawesa Katomo, and Simon Kaira Njoroge.

They were arraigned before Magistrate Dolphina Alego under a miscellaneous application seeking to detain them for 30 days pending investigations into the alleged manufacture and supply of substandard cement, which has reportedly led to the collapse of buildings and loss of lives in various parts of the country.

The prosecution informed the court that numerous incidents of building collapses during construction have been directly linked to poor-quality cement, making this matter a grave public concern due to the loss of lives.

According to the police, a multi-agency team was formed to investigate the issue of counterfeit cement in circulation and to propose measures to address the problem.

The police revealed that investigations uncovered unscrupulous businessmen who, after purchasing cement from legitimate factories, adulterate the products by altering the bag weights before selling them.

Additionally, it was discovered that in some instances, suspects add an adulterant known as Pozzolanic dust to increase quantities and profits. However, this practice interferes with approved industry ratios, resulting in compromised quality standards for cement sold to unsuspecting members of the public.

The prosecution requested the court to allow the detention of the suspects for 30 more days to conclude investigations. However, the court ruled that there were no sufficient grounds to justify the extended detention and released the suspects on a Sh500,000 bond with an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000.