Soy Member of Parliament Caleb Kositany has asked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to withdraw a letter he says is blocking payment of farmers who delivered maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
Speaking in Eldoret town on Friday, Kositany said the government had already set aside funds to pay farmers but the letter by EACC directing the ministry of Agriculture and NCPB not to release the money until investigations into the maize scandal are complete had blocked the process.
The Jubilee MP said farmers were suffering as a result of the letter as they have not been paid for over a year now since they delivered the produce to the cereals board.
“We are now heading to the next harvesting season yet farmers who delivered maize to NCPB last year have not been paid. How do they expect farmers to survive without pay for over a year?” asked the legislator.
NCPB is supposed to pay farmers at least Sh4 billion for the maize it received. A 90-kilogram bag of maize was being bought at Sh3,200.
There are ongoing investigations into the alleged maize scandal at the NCPB following claims that some traders and powerful individuals supplied imported maize to the board and were paid promptly at the expense of genuine farmers.
It is feared that over Sh1.5 billion was lost in the scandal that has already seen top NCPB managers in the North, South and Central Rift regions suspended.
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