High cost of flour inhuman, say MPs

Parliament on Wednesday adjourned to discuss the shortage of maize and maize flour as a matter of national concern.

Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo asked for the adjournment saying the country faced a food crisis.

During the debate in Parliament, Mr Gumbo termed the current crisis inhuman, inconsiderate and unacceptable.

The biggest concern, he said, was the involvement of a cartel in creating an artificial shortage of food commodities.

“Why the explosion of prices? This House has a duty to unearth these people. It owes it to Kenyans and the relevant departmental committees should take up the matter,” he stated.

MPs pushing for the Grand Opposition were accused of being behind the rising prices of maize floor in the country.

Gwassi MP John Mbadi (ODM) told the House that the lawmakers were buying maize from the National Cereals Produce Board and reselling it to millers at exorbitant prices.

Mr Mbadi, who was thrown out of the House for declining to apologise, said the MPs were to blame for the high food prices.

He accused them of driving the patience of the Kenyans overboard. “The leaders of this country are making our people to suffer. Some members pushing for the Grand Opposition and some are sitting here are behind this,” he said.

He was immediately challenged by Kimilili MP Eseli Simiyu (Ford-K) to substantiate his claims that indeed some lawmakers were in the cartel that was pushing up the cost of maize flour.

In response, Mr Mbadi said when the list will be finally tabled in the chamber, they will be surprised.

“Some are young members pushing for the Grand Opposition yet they have been allocated more than 20,000 bags by the cereals board.

“I will not mention names because I don’t have the list,” he said. Temporary Speaker Ekwee Ethuro told him to either substantiate or apologise.

Prof Olweny, on a point of order, questioned why Mr Mbadi was being forced to substantiate yet it was public knowledge who the concerned MPs were.

“Is it in order to pressure the member to clarify when it is in the public domain who these people are?” he asked.

Mr Mbadi said Agriculture minister William Ruto should have substantiated because he had complained of the same in the recent past.

“I find it difficult to apologise because these people are here. I cannot apologise because they are Members of Parliament,” he said before being thrown out by Mr Ethuro for the rest of the evening.

Mr Mbadi was supported by Regional Authorities Development minister Fred Gumo and assistant minister Ayiecho Olweny.

Mr Ruto denied the claims that some MPs have been given allocations by the National Cereals and Produce Board on the basis of letters received from his ministry and challenged any member with information to volunteer it.

Issued a letter

As far as he was concerned, he said, no MP was a miller. “My ministry has not issued a letter to any member to be allocated maize.

I want to challenge anyone who has information that a member has been given a letter by a PS in my ministry or any official to state it here”.

MPs who contributed to the motion accused the Government of doing nothing as food prices skyrocketed. Some urged the State to intervene and save Kenyans from the crisis.

Contributors were of the shared opinion that the Government was not worth its name if it could not cushion Kenyans from the pangs of hunger being felt in many a household.

“Middlemen have exploited and impoverished Kenyans as the Government watches. Have we lost sensitivity? Is the love for money so great that we cannot avoid it irrespective of who suffers?” asked Dr David Eseli (Kimilili, Ford Kenya).

Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka said the Government was inconsiderate to the poor. “We do not treat our poor people well,” he said.

Dr Simiyu urged the Speaker of the National Assembly to direct the parliamentary committee on Agriculture and the Public Investments Committee to get to the root of the crisis.

“They should sink their teeth deep into this. We cannot allow a situation whereby some Kenyans go without food as others are laughing all the way to the banks,” he said.

And Mr Charles Kilonzo (Yatta, ODM-K) said that the food crisis was an indication that the Grand Coalition Government had failed.

He cited a scathing attack on Government policies by Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka as an example of a divided Cabinet.

Mr Kilonzo claimed that some Cabinet ministers had formed cartels to enrich themselves by cashing in on fertilisers at the expense of the ordinary citizens.

But he also said: “The Ministry of agriculture is under-funded. Why should it be given four per cent of the national Budget instead of 40 per cent yet is responsible for providing food?”

Mr Ephraim Maina (Mathira, Safina) described the food crisis as a matter of national security saying a hungry person is a dangerous person.

“Somebody somewhere is playing games with this crisis by opening and closing the door at will. The Government must let us know who the culprits are unless it is also involved in the deal to fleece the public,” he said

And Mr Walter Nyambati (Kitutu Masaba, ) said a Government that could not feed its people had no business being in power.

He wondered why China and India with over one billion people could feed their people, but the Kenyan Government was unable to feed 35 million people.

Mr Abdul Bahari (Isiolo South, Kanu), accused the Government of losing direction, saying it was a shame that 45 years after independence Kenyans were suffering due to lack of basic foodstuffs.

Reported By Bernard Namunane, Odhiambo Orlale and Carolyne Wafula