Date: January 4 & 11, 2018
Location: Eldoret, Kenya
Address: Mitaa Rd
Type: Dust Explosion and Fire
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Maize Drying (Food Processing)
Equipment: Maize Dryer
Company: National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB)
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Organisation’s Description:
According to its website, the mandate of the National Cereals and Produce Board is to trade grains on the commercial market, provide commodity handling, procure farm inputs and provide storage and grain maintenance for farmers.
In the Cleaning & Drying section of their website, NCPB says that the board “cleans farmers’/customers’ grain to improve grade by removing foreign matter and chaff. Wet grain is dried to the required moisture content.”
In the Warehousing section they state that they have: “Conventional stores for bagged grain or other commodities,” and, “Silo bins for storage of naked grain.”
They also provide other services including pest control, aflatoxin testing, grading, weighing, bagging and clearing and forwarding.
Description of Silo Explosions and Fires:
On January 11, 2018, The Star reported that a fire had destroyed a maize dryer at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Eldoret depot in Kenya, just one week after a similar incident.
The first incident occurred on January 4. Business Daily reported a fire had broken out at the NCPB depot at around 4 am. A mortar explosion in one of the driers housing three silos was suspected to have triggered the blaze, but the exact cause was unknown. The dryers are used to dry maize with a moisture content of 13 percent.
According to the Daily Nation, a worker at the depot said that they heard a loud explosion before fire engulfed the silo. No injuries were reported.
The fire came at a time when hundreds of farmers were lined up to deliver their maize produce to the NCPB depot. Farmers had previously complained about delays. The government later waived drying costs for those providing produce to the depot.
One week later, on January 11, The Star reported that a fire had destroyed a second maize dryer at the same location. Firefighters again controlled the fire before the damage became extensive, and again no injuries were reported.
The NCPB temporarily suspended maize drying services for farmers. The depot manager said the fire likely resulted from an electrical fault. “The machines have been very busy in the last three months so we must consider overuse,” he said.
However, also on January 11, Top Farmer published a piece speculating that the second fire “appears to be a case of sabotage” and, “this could … be the work of tenderpreneurs eager to sell new driers”.
NCPB has purchased more than 1.8 million bags of maize worth 5.7 billion Kenyan shillings. The time of writing the board had only paid farmers about 3.6 billion KSh, meaning they are owed more than 2 billion KSh.
MPs have asked the government to install new dryers because the damaged ones were installed years ago. “We need to install new dryers as soon as possible so the board can resume normal operations,” said one.
Sources:
The Star
Business Daily
Daily Nation
Hivisasa
Top Farmer
