• Agriculture CS Peter Munya on Monday told the Senate Agriculture Committee that millions of bags of maize in government silos will be destroyed due to aflatoxin contamination.
• Munya said all the maize in the stores is unsafe for human and animal consumption and would be given to cement makers to be used for fuel.
Only 69, 000 of 90kg bags of maize in NCPB stores is contaminated with aflatoxin.
“Currently, NCPB does not have any Strategic Food Reserve stocks of maize in its stores save for 13, 000 (90kg) bags meant for famine relief and a further 69, 000 bags of condemned maize,” NCPB said in a statement on Thursday.
Agriculture CS Peter Munya had on Monday told the Senate Agriculture Committee that millions of bags of maize in government silos will be destroyed due to aflatoxin contamination.
Munya said all the maize in the stores is unsafe for human and animal consumption.
“We don’t have any stocks in the stores. What we have is maize contaminated with aflatoxin and we want to give it to cement makers to be used for fuel,” he said.
The National Cereals and Produce Board on Thursday, however, contradicted Munya — who heads the parent ministry — saying they only have 69, 000 bags that were declared unfit for human consumption last year by a multiagency team.
Titus Maiyo, the board’s spokesperson, said when the board began selling SFR maize to millers in June 2019, it had four million 90kg bags in its custody.
About 3.9 million bags were sold and 82, 000 remained.
“All the maize that was sold to the millers was clean and fit for human consumption. The 69, 000 of 90 kg bags (124, 000 of 50 kg bags), which was declared and condemned as unfit for human and animal consumption, was kept under lock and key in various depots awaiting instructions from the government on its destruction through incineration,” Maiyo said.
He assured Kenyans that apart from the consignment of maize destined for destruction, NCPB does not have any other contaminated maize in its stores.
In February, millers and the Kenya Bureau of Standards raised concerns about high levels of aflatoxin in maize in the market. Experts attributed this to the October-November-December short rains that continued until January, making it difficult for farmers to dry maize.
Munya said the government is planning to import — through millers — four million bags of maize, (two million for white maize and another two million bags of yellow maize for animal feed) to ease the shortage before the next harvesting season, which is expected to begin in August.
The CS told the committee that importation has already been gazetted and the maize is expected to sell at Sh2, 900 to Sh3, 000 for a 90kg bag.
“The importation was sanctioned by the Cabinet after an assessment was done that found that the country may experience a shortage,” said Munya.
Edited by E.Kibii