MP petitions Raila over maize scandal

• MP is also challenging the decision by the government to import maize.

Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama has written to Prime Minister Raila Odinga to speed up investigations into the maize scandal.

The MP is also challenging the decision by the government to import maize when "our farmers had just harvested the crop."

In the letter copied to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission Director Aaron Ringera, the MP wants the PM --chair of the National Food Security Committee-- to explain “how and why” the government decided to buy maize from outside the country when it was available locally.

“Numerous questions have been raised on this issue and to date a satisfactory response from the relevant government offices remains elusive.”

In the letter, Mr Muthama said the importation of maize to mitigate the acute famine in the country could have opened loopholes for embezzlement of funds. He said that an estimated Sh3.6 billion was lost in the import venture.

“(The government) would have promoted and supported our poor farmers to lift them out of poverty,” Mr Muthama told the Nation.

His calculations were carried out using figures that Agriculture minister William Ruto tabled in Parliament when he briefed MPs on the maize scandal.

Several ministers and permanent secretaries have been questioned in relation to the crisis, but no prosecutions have been made yet.

The maize scandal has been subject of much public debate, especially after it emerged that politicians and other influential people in government were hoarding maize after buying it from the cereals board -- in anticipation of an increase in prices.

It resulted into a censure motion against the Agriculture minister, but it was defeated with the Kangundo MP voting against the Motion.

The Cabinet recently allowed traders to freely import maize to help solve the severe food crisis that has put at risk the lives of 10 million Kenyans. The famine has since been declared a national disaster.

Though Mr Muthama is raising the issue now, the government has since explained that the importation of maize was because “we don’t have enough maize in the country.”

Mr Ruto said the government had paid the high prices --between Sh2,750 and Sh3800-- for each bag of imported maize since “it had no choice.”

Then, the minister said that if the maize was bought locally the cost of flour would rise beyond the purchasing power of ordinary Kenyans.

A total of 1.54 million bags (90-kg) have been imported, while another two million bags is set to be delivered soon to help shore up the 25.2 million bags that were harvested last year.