Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has issued a seven-day ultimatum for millers to import maize or revoke their duty-free importation licenses.
“On April 30, those people that will not have given us proof that there is something we are waiting for will have their licenses declared not valid,” he said.
The CS has accused a section of millers of exporting consumable grain to neighbouring countries for more profit at the expense of Kenyan Citizens.
“Some of you are exporting maize and rice to South Sudan and Tanzania. As we sit here, we have even impounded some of these commodities under our custody.”
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Speaking on Tuesday in a meeting with millers, he said that the government would not permit the millers to export food products to other nations when encountering food shortages.
“There is no country that will allow its millers to export food products while its own country lacks food and that is why so other countries are denying you their produce because they must feed their very own first,” CS Linturi said.
This comes a week after the CS promised to summon over 20 local maize millers to find out why they have yet to lower the prices of their respective unga brands.
The CS stated that some unga brands have lowered prices as they are one of the beneficiaries of the government’s decision to grant maize millers permits to import maize duty-free.
“I have called all of the maize millers who are beneficiaries for a meeting on Friday because whatever revenue the government is going to lose by way of import duty must be reflected in the reduction of the price of that commodity in the market,” he said.
