The government has warned of a potential food crisis in the coming months due to critically low rice stocks, amid a court ruling which blocked the importation of 500,000 tonnes of rice.
In a replying affidavit submitted to the High Court, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe warned of devastating ripple effects if the government failed to secure a rice supply from abroad.
CS Kagwe revealed that local rice stocks were alarmingly low, standing at only 20,000 50kg bags. This was drastically short of the projected demand of more than 350,000 bags, which are required to sustain key government institutions.
To highlight the dire situation, the CS projected that rice consumption per capita in Kenya will reach 29 kilograms by 2025, with the Kenyan population expected to hit 54.79 million.
These projections translated to a national requirement of approximately 1.5 million metric tonnes of rice for the year, or about 125,000 metric tonnes per month.
"THAT failure to import rice under the current shortfall would lead to either acute food scarcity or a sharp spike in prices, not only for rice but also for other staples such as maize flour and wheat products," part of the affidavit read.
"This would create a domino effect on the cost of living and place an unsustainable burden on millions of Kenyan households."
CS Kagwe, through the affidavit, reiterated that the importation of rice was not a new strategy, but a longstanding practice by the government to stabilise food supply in the country.
The affidavit was in response to a High Court ruling on Wednesday, August 13, where conservatory orders were issued barring the government's plans to import 500,000 metric tonnes of rice.
The petitioner, Farmers Party, argued that the decision could have far-reaching consequences on local farmers and the agricultural sector.
But in a rejoinder, Kagwe insisted through the replying affidavit that over 95 per cent of the imported rice was non-basmati and did not directly compete with local pishori rice, which targets a niche market.
The CS further emphasised that the decision to import rice was a policy matter, which solely lay within the Executive’s jurisdiction, hence the court should have minimal interference in the matter.
