Authorities in Gatanga Constituency, Murang'a County, have introduced measures to address increased theft of avocados as the harvest period approaches.
Officials from the National Government Administration (NGAA) reported that theft has increased during the sales window as fruit nears maturity. New guidelines focus on restricting movement and improving traceability of produce.
Deputy County Commissioner Damaris Kimondo said the area has been affected by repeated theft cases and warned that enforcement measures would be applied.
"Any transportation of the avocados must be before 6 pm and after 6 am. There will be checks in major entries into the region, and thus anyone transporting beyond the stipulated hours will not escape law enforcement officers," she said.
Under the new rules, night-time transport of avocados is prohibited. Authorities will conduct checks at key entry points to monitor compliance.
The guidelines also require brokers to source fruit directly from farmers and transport it to markets without using informal storage points. This approach is intended to improve traceability and reduce opportunities for stolen produce to enter supply chains.
"Middlemen and brokers will have to buy directly from the farmer but not in stores in town, which encourages theft as one can steal and easily dispose of even five kilos of the fruit for quick cash," Kimondo said.
Farmers in the region report losses linked to theft. Wilson Mwangi, a grower in the area, said, "All the fruits in my three acres of land had been picked at night, it was raining heavily, and my farm is quite a distance from my home, so nobody reported hearing anything amiss."
He added that similar incidents have been reported by neighbouring farms.
Authorities state that the measures are intended to reduce theft and support farm-level returns by ensuring produce is traced from harvest to market.
Source: The Star
