Senate team grills Kiunjuri over maize payment scandal

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Kiunjuri is currently before the Senate ad hoc committee which is investigating the crisis in the maize sector.
Mr Kiunjuri has been at the centre of focus after his ministry was accused of undermining local farmers by using traders to import maize and paying them large sums of money at the expense of local farmers.
The committee is investigating circumstances under which the traders were paid. Local farmers have not been paid money totalling Sh3 billion.

The Agriculture boss said the government already paid Sh9.4 billion for over three million metric tonnes of maize imported in 2017/18 season whose total cost is Sh11.63 billion, leaving a balance of Sh2.2 billion.

Mr Kiunjuri has told senators that the government has also paid Sh1.4 billion for 152 claims under investigation, Sh429 million to 74 farmers whose deliveries do not match the authorised quantities set by the vetting team, and Sh217 million to farmers who collected their verification forms but did not return them to their respective depots.