National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Managing Director Newton Terer had a rough time explaining some oversight concerns raised by farmers.
This comes amid concerns by farmers that the national cereals buyer has had its Eldoret Depot silos full.
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Mwangi Kiunjuri picked concerns from farmers and directly heaped blame on the MD.
"As the MD, you should have monitored absorption of maize and as it neared 60 percent, you should have considered decongesting the silos," said an angered Kiunjuri.
Terer was forced to shoulder blame after farmers complained the slow pace at which the board is buying maize, some having to wait on the queues for up to 3 weeks.
The board had lamented that its silos in Eldoret (the biggest in North Rift) was already full and that caused uncertainty.
"Starting tomorrow, trucks should start being packed to ferry maize to Bungoma, Kisumu, Nairobi and other depots to create room," Kiunjuri directed.
"I want to hear that in the next few days, the board is absorbing maize at a normal pace," he added.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago also said the board should consider increasing some hundreds on top of the Sh3200 buying price as an incentive for farmers who are willing to deliver maize to distant depots.
"If you add Sh 200 as an addition to a farmer who is willing to deliver to Nairobi, these people will help solve the glut in our Eldoret depot," said Mandago.
"This will make economic sense because after all the board will pay trucks that will relocate produce to other distant silos," he added.