Lato Milk management condemns raid on their stores
By Dorcas Mbatia, January 6, 2020
Lato Milk Distributors in Meru are counting losses worth Sh2.5 million after officers from Anti Counterfeit Unit on Monday raided the deport and carted away 23 tonnes of milk suspected to be counterfeited.
Speaking to the press, Deport Manger Pritpal Bhamra condemned the act claiming the move is out to kill and block investors from doing business in the area.
“We are convinced beyond doubt that the raid is politically motivated and we are calling on the government to investigate the matter which we highly feel is a way to block investors,” said Bhamra.
While showing the verification document from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS), East African Certificates of Origin and Kenya Dairy Board, the manger wondered why their legal product which he said they import from Uganda was impounded.
“Our product has passed all the required tests and certified as fit for human consumption by all the relevant authorities. We wonder why officers in plain clothe, who claimed to be following orders from ‘above’ did not show any legal documents for the act, but only took away 22542 litres of milk to unknown destination,” he said.
He dismissed claims that 20,000 packets of contraband Lato milk powder was nabbed by the officer from Parklands in Nairobi saying they do not have a factory but only import processed and packed long life milk.
“How can we mix powder and processed milk and we don’t have a factory to do that because what we have is a distribution centre,” he added.
He called on the business competitors like Mt.Kenya Milk to accept a fair and healthy competition in the market.
This is after the competitors claimed a month ago that cheap milk imported from Uganda is killing the dairy sector in the region.