At least 400 farmers in the Rift Valley have been paid for maize deliveries made to the National Cereals and Produce Board since January, officials have said.
The farmers received a total of Sh200 million. NCPB boss Albin Sang asked the other farmers to be patient, saying they will be fully paid.
The CEO, through board spokesman Titus Maiyo, said the vetting and purchase of more maize was going on smoothly.
The board has also cleared arrears amounting to Sh2.1 billion which was owed to farmers since last year.
“The farmers should not have any worries because they will be paid,” Maiyo said in Eldoret on Sunday.
The government has set aside Sh5 billion to buy two million bags of maize through NCPB.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said the ministry is streamlining operations of the board for the purchase of maize and distribution of subsidised fertiliser.
Kiunjuri spoke on Friday when he opened the Eldoret ASK national show. He said NCPB had cleared all debts with farmers.
"Going forward, farmers will always be paid weekly for maize delivered to the NCPB," Kiunjuri said.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago asked the government to abolish the requirement that farmers produce land ownership documents as proof of farming for NCPB to buy their produce.
The documents are part of the vetting requirements.
“Most of our farmers did not practice family planning so they have many children all of whom practice cereal farming. It difficult for them to acquire the ownership documents from their parents who at times read sinister motives upon those requests,” Mandago said.
Kiunjuri promised to have the vetting conditions relaxed.
“We asked for these documents in order to get rid of oppressive brokers. However, we'll work together with chiefs to ascertain genuine farmers," the CS said.
He said NCPB already has data on genuine farmers but warned that chiefs will take the blame should they approve middlemen.
“Anyone messing up with the process will have to face the law," Kiunjuri said.
