Josiah Kariuki Kimani popularly known as Joe Kimani is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Silica Booster Limited (SBL), a company at the center of the ongoing nationwide fake fertiliser scandal.
According to media reports, Joe Kariuki is currently dating Keroche Breweries heiress Arnelissa Muigai. The news emerged after screenshots of Arnelissa asking her friends for help in raising a Ksh3 million cash bail for Kairuki were leaked online.
In another leak, conversations between blogger Edgar Obare and Arnelissa emerged. In the chat, she wanted to expose some of her friends that failed to contribute towards her fiancé’s cash bail.
Kariuki also accompanied Arnelissa and her mother, Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja to a church service on Sunday, May 5, 2024.
Kariuki hit the headlines after his company SBL was implicated in the fake fertiliser scandal. He absolved his company of any wrongdoing, claiming that he is a target of trade wars.
Trade Wars
Kariuki blamed his company’s woes on the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), accusing the regulator of kicking out smaller companies from the fertiliser business.
“We believe the timing of these allegations is wrong. The planting season is here. In the last two years we have gained the trust, dedication and loyalty of 100,000 Kenyan farmers across 30 counties farming thousands of acres. This is the future of environmentally safe farming. This is what the competition want stopped,” he said.
Kariuki stated that KEBS licenced GPC Original in January 2023 and GPC Booster in June the same year.
“The story of GPS fertilizer scandal is fake news, the government knows it, KEBS knows it, and the National Cereal and Produce Board (NCPB) knows it…we all know monopolies are terrible in Kenya,” declared Kariuki.
“Fair competition in the fertilizer industry should and must be allowed. Farmers will benefit from lower prices because of competition, there should be no monopoly in the fertilizer industry.”
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, KEBS officials testified that they seized 5840 bags of GPC Plus Organic Fertiliser from various National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
“We are shocked to hear that KEBS has not certified and approved GPC fertilisers, that GPC fertilisers are fake and lack the recommended nutrient levels, and that GPC fertilisers are part of the government fertiliser subsidy program. The accusations are false and libellous,” Kariuki said defending his company.
