Government to release 200,000 bags of maize

As the famine continues to bite in some parts of the country, the Government is set to release 200,000 bags of maize to the famine relief programme starting on Thursday.

Special Programmes Permanent Secretary Ali Mohamed said the maize would be obtained from the strategic grain reserves currently under the cereals board.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture has blamed the poor distribution of maize flour on “inadequate resources” at the cereals board.

Agriculture assistant minister Kareke Mbiuki said there was enough food, but the National Cereals and Produce Board was ill-equipped to deal with its distribution. Instead, he said, the blame should be placed on the Special Programmes ministry for failing to manage the distribution of famine relief.

Speaking to the Nation on Thursday, Mr Kareke said the responsibility of famine relief lay outside the role of his ministry.

“Our mandate has to do with food production, if we fail to get enough rains and production fails, then Special Programmes should have means of preventing people from starvation,” he said.

Mr Kareke dismissed claims that maize was being exported to Southern Sudan as a “cheap publicity stunt over important matters.”

“These MPs making the allegations should simply present the evidence so that we prosecute the people making Kenyans to suffer,” he said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by the Special programmes PS, who demanded proof to show that indeed maize had been exported outside the country.

The PS, together with his Agriculture and Finance counterparts, manage the Strategic Grain Reserves.

Last Monday, some MPs alleged that the cereals board had sold maize to powerful politicians, who had in turn exported it to neighbouring countries.

Both Mr Kareke and Mr Mohamed said they were not aware of any fraud in the maize sector.

Mr Kareke added that the supply hitch in the 5kg maize flour, which retails at Sh130 at the NCPB depots, arose because the cereals board was “inexperienced” in distribution. “The role of the cereals board is to buy maize for the grain reserves,” Mr Kareke said.

But Mr Mohamed said the Sh130 flour had reached its targeted consumers. “The flour was meant for the slum dwellers, all the others should just make do with the Sh72 per 2kg packet,” the PS said.

Elsewhere, farmers in the North Rift are set to increase acreage under maize and wheat this year in order to improve the food security in the country.