The National Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, headed by Hon. Dr. John Mutunga, met with the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Mithika Linturi, to discuss the subsidized maize flour program and the Strategic Food Reserve.

The inquiry comes after the Committee's scrutiny of Supplementary Estimates 1, revealing that Kshs 7.267B had been spent on the Maize flour subsidy program, with Kshs 4B paid and Kshs 3.267B outstanding.

The Committee expressed concerns about the lack of adequate information and reservations about allocating more funds to the program. Members requested information on the amount of maize flour supplied by millers, the scope of distribution, and how millers were identified. Lawmakers also inquired about discrepancies in contracts signed by the Cereal Millers Association and Grain Mill OwnerAssociation, as well as payments related to the subsidized maize flour program.

The Agriculture Ministry reported that 119 millers supplied 121,714,844kgs of subsidized maize during the period, and that the Ministry owes millers over Kshs 3.023B. However, legislators observed further discrepancies between the figures submitted by the Ministry and those earlier submitted by the Cereal Millers Association and Grain Mill Owners Association.

The Committee also raised concerns over the amount of flour supplied under the program, with a total of 119 millers supplying 121,714,844kgs of subsidized flour across the country. Members noted that the maize subsidy program ran for four weeks from July 20th to August 20th, 2022, with millers responsible for milling and distribution. The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of the National Government, along with officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority, were responsible for ensuring the delivery of maize flour to the last mile. However, Members asserted the maize was not readily available to consumers at retail level.

During the session, lawmakers questioned why the Ministry did not have substitutes to maize, which is the country's staple food. The Agriculture Minister informed the Committee that the government had ordered a consignment of over 1 million tonnes of maize in addition to 1.1 million tonnes of rice, scheduled to arrive in the country in two weeks. He also announced plans to publish another Gazette notice to top up the maize import by 500,000 tonnes from the initial 900,000 tonnes to ensure food security for the population.

The Committee called for further details and documentation into the maize subsidy program and for the Ministry to provide more clarity on the contracts and payments made. With maize being a staple food consumed by the majority of Kenyans, the Committee stressed the importance of proper management and safeguards to ensure food security for the population.

Members of Committee present during the meeting were Hon. Dr. John Mutunga, Hon. Odaga, Hon. Sabina Chege, Hon. Jared Okello, Hon. Yusuf Farah, Hon. Gabriel Kagombe, Hon. David Kiplagat  Hon. Patrick Kibagendi Osero and Hon. Mpuru Aburi.