NASA leaders campaigning in Trans Nzoia county, June 22, 2017. [Photo: hivisasa.com]
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, now says he knows why there is an acute shortage of maize flour (Unga) in the country, even after the government imported 29,900 metric tonnes of maize, mid May, this year.
The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, announced it would spend close to Sh6 billion in importing maize, to mitigate food shortage in the country, after local maize 'disappeared'.
Few days ago, Agriculture CS Willy Bett, witnessed the arrival of 12,000 bags of maize through the Rift Valley Railways (RVR)
However according to the Nasa presidential candidate, the government imported 'rotten maize', at a higher cost, after leaving local maize.
According to him, the government declined to buy maize at a price that farmers in the region asked for, citing budget constrains, only to spend more in imports, to benefit only a few in government.
He said the imported maize had been inspected by officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and fund out that it was unfit for human consumption.
"They refused to pay Kenyan farmers Sh3,200 and yet they are paying Mexico farmers Sh4,600, for rotten maize. The maize arrived at the Mombasa port yesterday and the officials from the Kebs inspected it and found out that the maize is rotten; unfit for human consumption," Raila said, Thursday, June 22.
Earlier, Bett blamed the biting maize and Unga shortage, on Kenyans, for eating too much Ugali.
He said Kenyans have been consuming too much Ugali since prices maize flour were subsidised, hence the acute shortage of the substance in shops.He however affirmed that the government had made quick efforts to diversify transportation of imported white maize to mitigate the situation, even as elections near.“Since we started the government subsidised Unga programme, we have witnessed more Kenyans preferring the product for Ugali. This has led to a high demand for maize flour," Bett noted, at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Donholm silo, Nairobi.
A total of 1.2 million bags of imported white maize have been distributed since May when the government launched the Sh6 billion subsidy programme.
The Ministry affirmed that the remaining 3.8 million bags will be imported by end of July.
"Before the end of this month, three ships carrying 114,000 tonnes will be received at the port," said the CS