The Kenya Prisons Services is staring at a major crisis after its 600-acre maize farm in Ngeria, Uasin Gishu County was invaded by the dreaded fall armyworms.
Ngeria prison has been a key facility that supplies food to almost all other prisons in the country and the latest development will come as a worry to the department.
According to the prisons officer in charge Abdala Siomi, the whole farm has been invaded.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Siomi called for urgent measures to help minimize on the loses that the invasion might cause.
"We are a key supplier of food to other prisons and if this situation is not contained, we are likely to face food shortages in our correctional facilities next year," said Siomi.
He asked the county and national government to help put in place mechanisms that will contain the armyworms.
Similar sentiments were shared by the prisons extension officer Darius Too who warned of the risk of the armyworms spreading to across the county.
"Each armyworm can lay up to 200 eggs which once they hatch, they can fly to at least 30 kilometers. This means if we don't act now we risk witnessing more farms infested to as far as Turbo and across the county," he said.
"...this is why we are asking that if there is any intervention it should start from here where we have already been affected," he added.
Several farmers have already experienced the fall armyworms that experts say invade maize farms that are about one foot.
It is only recently that the County Assembly of Uasin Gishu passed a motion asking the county executive to mobilize and sensitize farmers on how to tackle the lethal armyworms