Gerald Bitok, director of public communication at State House, has refuted claims that the government excluded the Nyanza region from accessing the subsidised fertiliser, as alleged by National Assembly minority leader, Opiyo Wandayi.
On Friday, August 11, the communication expert shared a list detailing how the farm inputs were distributed across the Western region, including Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya counties.
The list also showed the number of vouchers sent to the regions, with Bitok urging the farmers to collect and redeem their vouchers at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
For instance, in Homa Bay Phase 1, only 1,317 farmers redeemed their vouchers out of 105,156 registered for the project.
"MP Opiyo Wandayi, a wise man, once said numbers never lie. Seems you are spending little time with your constituent," Bitok, who was appointed to the role in June 2023, criticised the Ugunja lawmaker.
"The President just launched the short rains' distribution, and a bag will cost you only Ksh2,500, down from Ksh3,500. Visit your nearest NCPB," he added.
Wandayi, who also serves as Ugunja MP, had accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of delaying notifications to registered farmers, informing them to collect the subsidised fertilisers from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
He also claimed there was a delay in the activation of vouchers to prevent the farmers from accessing the fertilisers at a subsidised rate of Ksh2,500.
The opposition politician attributed the delays to a political scheme reportedly orchestrated by the national government to coerce farmers to rely on relief food distribution.
Contrary to Wandayi's claims, President Ruto emphasised that his government will further lower the prices of fertiliser to produce more yield, increase the supply of farm produce and reduce the prices of basic food items.
"In the long rain season, most farmers used one bag of fertiliser per acre. Data shows that if you double the fertiliser per acre, you will get more yield of between 12 and 25 bags of maize," Ruto stated during the launch of the second phase of the subsidised fertiliser programme on August 2, 2023.
"For the coming short rains, the government has embarked on the distribution of fertiliser to farmers throughout the country, with a view to ultimately delivering 2 million 50 kg bags, at a subsidised cost of Ksh2,500," he added.
