The confusion over a ship that docked at the Port of Mombasa carrying 10,000 tonnes of maize took a new twist over its ownership.
The ship docked at Kenyan port from Mozambique on Monday, November 21 at a time when Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria had announced that Kenya will be importing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) maize.
While appearing before parliament on Tuesday, November 29, the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) Managing Director Pamela Mutua refuted claims that the government made the importation.
KNTC revelation came the same day President William Ruto’s cabinet announced that maize importation was suspended for three months.
Mutua told parliament that the corporation had not imported any maize and no plan in the offing to buy the produce from external markets.
“We have no role in the importation of 10,000 tonnes of maize at the Port of Mombasa, the corporation has not imported maize or anything so far for that matter,” she told parliament.
“We are yet to get a directive from the government to start importation,” she added.
Contrary to CS Kuria's ultimatum that the government will import maize, the director further noted even if the directive came, the corporation would not import as it was cash crunched.
“As an organization we have Ksh600 million only in our coffers, the money is not enough to import maize."
“We are planning to use the available funds to buy rice locally from Kenyan farmers,” she explained.
Ruto’s government will start importing maize in February 2023, after buying 30 million bags of maize from local farmers.
“In honour of our nation’s sacred duty to our farmers, Cabinet resolved that the farmers produce will be accorded priority access to the market,” cabinet announced through a special dispatch.
“The deficit arising from the lower-than-expected domestic yields will be bridged through the importation of 10 million bags of maize.
“The importation by the private sector will commence in February,2023 and it shall be incentivized by way of a customs duty waiver,” the dispatch read further.
