By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
National Drug Authority (NDA) has accused Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Center of manufacturing and distributing a counterfeit tick acaricide called TICKOFF.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on 7th February, 2023, NDA says the TICKOFF acaricide that Pastor Kayanja claims kills ticks instantly is contaminated with banned and dangerous chemicals.
NDA named the chemicals as DIAZINON which is a highly concentrated fumigant used to kill bedbugs, bats and termites. The second is FIPRONIL, a spray banned for food producing animals because of a long withdrawal period due to the potential risks it could have on human health.
The third chemical is BENALAXYL, a systemic fungicide which is carcinogenic (cancer causing potential).
Pastor Kayanja is not only accused of manufacturing and distributing a fake product but also of lying to NDA officials that he had manufactured TICKOFF with the help of scientists from Makerere University School of Veterinary Medicine who were the lead investigators.
“NDA reached to the said teams who confessed that they had never worked or reviewed anything with Pastor Kayanja or any of his associates,” the statement reads in part.
NDA also accuses Pastor Kayanja of refusing to disclose the ingredients of the product (TICKOFF).
“NDA worked with police and impounded 100 samples from his church stores and took them to both NDA and government Chemical laboratories,” the statement reads.
Kayanja and company was found to have mixed the three dangerous and banned chemicals with animal feeds and mukene (silver fish) and packed without any expiry date, ingredient information or warning.
“After disclosing to Pastor Kayanja that his product was counterfeit, he has since closed all his communication channels and instead tried to blackmail our teams,” NDA says.
Meanwhile, the Authority has warned farmers especially in the districts of Kiruhura, Isingiro, Lyantonde, Sembabule and Karamoja not to use the TICKOFF acaricide but rather take it to the nearest police station so that NDA officials can easily pick them.
NDA is threatening to take more action against what it called criminal actions by the famous Ugandan Pastor.
