Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri is today expected to appear before National Assembly Agriculture committee over the alleged Sh1.9 billion scandal at the National Cereals and Produce Board.
Committee chairman Adan Haji Ali said they will further invite Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe and former NCPB managing director Newton Terer to shed light over the scam.
"The CS and other top stakeholders in the agriculture sector will explain to the committee how such payments were made to traders instead of genuine farmers. Kenyans want answers on what transpired," Haji said.
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The Mandera South MP said Kiunjuri is expected to explain why the traders were paid despite failing the vetting.
An internal audit from the ministry carried out this month smoked out 18 individuals who received payments after delivering thousands of 90-kg bags of maize to NCPB deports in Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret.
The report tabled by Lesiyampe before Public Accounts Committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi exposed unscrupulous traders who milked Sh1.9 billion at the expense of genuine maize farmers in Lake, North, and South Rift regions.
The traders masquerading as farmers were vetted and disapproved to qualify for the payments.
According to the report, Celestine Chepchirchir delivered 226,108 bags of 50kgs to Eldoret depot and was paid Sh333 million by the board. The board has not cleared her balance of Sh62.1 million.
Stephen Maiyo was paid Sh148 million for supplying 109,506 bags of 50kg in the same deport but claims a balance of Sh43 million from the board.
At the Kisumu depot, Caroline Chepchumba was supposed to receive Sh216 million for supplying 121,617 bags of 50kgs but the board paid her Sh96.2 million. She is claiming Sh119.7 million. These are traders who supplied over 100,000 bags to the deports.
Lesiyampe tabled the report a day after Kiunjuri vowed to expose the traders colluding with some of the NCPB bosses.
But Lesiyampe told the committee that the government did not lose any money during the payments.
"I can confirm here that no money was lost and in fact we received all the maize. Currently, we have about 3.8 million bags of maize at NCPD depots."
"I cannot confirm the connections and networks of these traders but we are digging into this matter."
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