Cooking Oil Contaminated With Sewage Water: Victims Raise Alarm
Cooking Oil Contaminated With Sewage Water: Victims Raise Alarm
In a video making the rounds on social media, a victim who purchased cooking oil on the streets of Nairobi questioned the reliability and security of some of the market’s goods.
The victim described how he spent Ksh2,800 on three 5-litre cooking oil bottles. He made the purchase gladly, thinking he had made a wise decision. He quickly discovered, to his amazement, that the frying oil had been tainted with sewage water. A 5-liter bottle of cooking oil costs between Ksh1,350 and Ksh1,800 depending on the retailer.
He justified his decision at the time by saying that he would have paid between Ksh4,000 and Ksh4,500 in stores for the same items.
According to the victim’s statement, salespeople persuaded him to buy the cooking oil so that he could get it at a discount before it ran out. “I bought three cooking oils through a promotion at Nairobi’s CBD and was informed by one of the vendors on the streets that I should purchase them at a good price before the stocks get depleted,” he said. “When I examined the seal, it was flawless. But as soon as I opened it, I could smell something awful. The sellers are currently adding sewage water to the oil. Please exercise caution before making a purchase of something on sale.
The incident demonstrates the emergence of dishonest traders who try to get rid of low-quality or outdated cooking oil stockpiles or market tainted goods at a loss.These deals have proliferated as businesses target unwary consumers. Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) warned Kenyans in September not to purchase bananas from stores because they might have been grown or stored with potentially dangerous chemicals. COFEK advised customers to buy fruits and vegetables from reliable vendors who follow safety regulations.
