Maize cartels punishing poor farmers and their families for selfish gains ........

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Farmers drying maize in Eldoret Town
Credit: www.businessdailyafrica.com

By Judy Matu
The revelation by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri that 60% of maize with a value of over Kshs 9 Billion which was imported last year is unfit for human consumption is both confusing and shocking.
That the CS told the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture that the country ordered for only six million bags yet maize cartels imported ten million bags in total contravention of the government's gazette notice is maddening.
The revelation brings to the fore issues of national agricultural policy and how efforts of corrupt individuals in government undermine President Uhuru Kenyatta's food security agenda. The food security agenda is one of the four key pillars of Government's development agenda, the others being food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and affordable healthcare for all.
It is unacceptable that the Government is staring at such wasteful use of taxpayers' KShs 9 billion that would have been used to buy maize from local farmers.
Further, considering that local farmers have been complaining over excess maize that they have nowhere to sell and being unpaid for the few who were lucky to sell to the National Cereals and Produce Board, one then wonders where the country went wrong.
There is need to protect and prioritize local farm produce and the Government must walk the talk and implement policies that will protect local farmers from cartels in the maize industry, corrupt civil servants and their politicians. As it is now, the farmers are on their own despite the crucial role that food security plays in supporting the other three pillars of the government's development agenda.
It is worth noting that the case of overlooking farmer's plight has been the same in the sugar industry where imported sugar has been at the heart of bringing sugar millers on their knees leaving millions of cane farmers distraught and poor.
These farmers need to be protected. It is unacceptable that farmers should continue suffering massive losses as they helplessly watch their sweat go to waste. The rot of corruption that is hurting farmers and draining our economy must be urgently addressed and Kenyans must participate in debates that inform agricultural produce and guidelines and policy.
Further, the President must crack the whip on any public servant suspected of abetting corruption in the agricultural sector regardless of their rank. The government must protect farmers who are already facing challenges from climate change from corruption and support the farmer through agri friendly policies at national and county levels.

Judy Matu
National Chairperson
Association of Women in Agriculture in Kenya (AWAK)

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