Turkana county has cracked down on traders using faulty scales to cheat customers by selling underweight commodities.
They say they haven't raised prices but they lower the apparent weight and charge the same as before the Covid-19 crisis.
Livingstone Ewoi, Turkana officer for weights and measures, said residents are angry traders are selling underweight commodities such as maize and beans, and not lowering the price accordingly.
“We have responded to residents' complaints by hunting down traders stealing from customers by selling underweight commodities," he said on Sunday.
"We found traders using knobs to raise the weight of underweight commodities to defraud customers."
“Cereals such as maize and beans are supposed to weigh 45 kilogrammes but there, there's a drop to 39kgs,” he said.
Traders know it's against the law to tamper with weights and defraud customers, Ewoi said.
Anyone found using faulty weights will be arrested, the official warned.
Resident Peter Edukon of Lodwar said both wholesale and retail shops cheat them and they want the government to intervene.
“I wondered why commodity prices have been hiked elsewhere, while in Lodwar traders say the price is the same, come shop with us. They have been stealing."
Last week Turkana Trade director James Lokwale said traders selling underweight commodities could lose their business licences.
Impromptu checks are planned.
(Edited by V. Graham)
