• The funds were a grant from the World Bank to help coffee farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The CS will appear before the Agriculture committee on Monday to explain the criteria he used to allocate the money.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Senators have summoned Agriculture CS Peter Munya over ‘skewed’ allocation of Sh1.6 billion grant from the World Bank to cushion the coffee sector from the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis.
The CS will appear before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday to explain the criteria he used to allocate the money to the farmers.
Committee chairman Njeru Ndwiga (Embu) said on Tuesday they will grill Munya following a statement sought by Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula last week on how the cash was allocated.
The House also instructed the committee to inform Munya to halt disbursement of the fund until he appears before it.
"We are unable to give the statement Senator Moses Wetang'ula had requested on the matter but we are hoping to meet the CS soon, " committee member Ochilo Ayacko said.
Wetang'ula had criticised the CS for ‘favouring’ Mt Kenya counties after he allocated the cash to Murang’a, Kiambu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Machakos, Kirinyaga and Nyeri and excluded other coffee-growing counties.
The vocal senator wants Munya to specify the rationale behind the exclusion of other counties in the first allocation. He said the CS left out other coffee-growing areas, including Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisii, Nyamira, and Trans Nzoia.
“The CS should state the extent to which county governments have been involved in the process given that agriculture is one of the devolved functions,” Wetang'ula said.
The World Bank advanced the funds to improve the production of specialty coffee in the country.
“The CS should also explain the method and parameters that will be used to measure the proper utilisation of these funds,” Wetang'ula said.
“This is not what the Constitution, 2010, expected in this country. We desire and demand equitable distribution of resources and opportunities to all people of Kenya, regardless.”
Contributing to the statement, Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot said the action should be checked and tamed, lest they brood marginalisation.
“I would wish to know why the people that I represent, who are not lesser taxpayers than those people from other regions that have continued to be favoured in terms of development, have been left out,” Cheruiyot said.
Cleophas Malala of Kakamega regretted Munya’s move, saying it is sad that Sh1.6 billion was given to the government and allocated to only one region, yet Kenya has eight regions and 43 ethnic groups.
Malala reckoned that the principle of equity in the distribution of resources is mandatory and guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We want equity and justice practised when this matter is addressed,” he said.
For his part, Kisii Senator Sam Ongeri lamented that funds that were supposed to help farmers to stay afloat, particularly at this moment of Covid-19 disaster have only been distributed to “favourite” counties.
“That is unacceptable. We all accept the principle of equity. Therefore, resources must be equitably shared with all counties. To say the least, it is discriminatory,” he said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)