No importation of Mexican maize this year- CS Kiunjuri

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has said the government will not import maize from Mexico this year.

Kinjuri said the government will instead look to Ethiopia and Comesa countries for maize to help cushion Kenyans against high prices of unga which are currently between Sh120-Sh124.

"Even if we were to import maize from Mexico, it would take 47-60 days and another 136 days to offload the maize from the ship at the Port of Mombasa," he said.

The CS spoke on Wednesday as he appeared before the National Assembly's Agriculture committee.

The CS said there is maize coming from Tanzania and Uganda but the inflows are not enough, hence the need to source for maize from Comesa region.

He further said the government has a mechanism to cushion farmers.

Adan Haji, the Chair of the Agriculture Committee accused Kiunjuri of causing panic in the country on maize imports while there is no shortage of maize in the country.

Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter who appeared as a friend of the committee said he has information that the Ministry of Agriculture has withdrawn Sh1.8billion from the Strategic Food Reserve and paid an importer who has already imported 40,000.

Emmanuel Wangwe, who is a member of the committee said the ship with the 40,000 bags arrived at the Port of Mombasa on May 28 waiting for the government to open up the window for importation.

His appearance comes after a section of MPs from maize growing areas demanded Kiunjuri's resignation over an alleged Sh 1.8 billion advance payment for maize importation.

They said money was secretly and irregularly withdrawn from the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund at the Central Bank of Kenya to a company trading as Commodity House without the Fund’s Board approval.

MPs Joshua Kutuny (Cherangany), Silas Tiren (Moiben), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Robert Pukose (Endebes), Marwa Maisuri (Kuria East) and Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills) demanded that DCI George Kinoti and EACC investigate the possible loss of cash.

They added that the money was part of the Sh12 billion earmarked for priority areas such as clearance of debts owed to maize farmers and purchase of the current crop.

The lawmakers also want Agriculture PS in charge of crop development Hamadi Boga to resign and pave way for investigation maintaining that the secret payment was a conduit for stealing public funds.