EACC detectives grill 6 top NCPB officials

The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) has interrogated six National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) officials from the North Rift region over the Sh2 billion maize scandal.

The senior managers and key staff from the six depots are suspected to be involved in the smuggling of cheap maize from Uganda that was delivered to the board’s buying centres.

EACC deputy director in charge of North Rift Jackson Mue, on Tuesday said 70 per cent of the Sh2 billion lost was transacted in the six depots.

'LIST OF SHAME'

Mr Mue said his team has compiled a list of officers and farmers suspected to have been involved in the scam and their names will be made public Wednesday.

He added that they will be arraigned in court soon to face charges of misuse of public funds.

The targeted NCPB depots are Eldoret, Moi’s Bridge, Kitale, Bungoma, Kisumu and Nakuru.

According to Mr Mue, the scandal involves several individuals who delivered the cheaply imported maize to NCPB depots at night and received prompt payment.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has admitted that some powerful individuals were behind the maize scam.

He has however maintained that the officials are not in his ministry and has promised to table an audit report on the scam’s beneficiaries.

Leaders from the North Rift region have demanded an independent audit to determine the quantity of maize delivered to the depots.

Led by Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter and his Moiben counterpart Sila Tiren, they said the audit will expose individuals behind the maize mess.

This come as maize produce worth millions of shillings is going to waste in the North Rift region due to lack of market after the government suspended buying the crop from farmers.

FARMERS

Several tonnes of the crop have been attacked by pests and moulds due to lack of proper storage facilities as farmers struggle to find market for the produce.

According to Crops Development Permanent Secretary Richard Lesiyampe, the government stopped buying maize from farmers after it attained capacity to replenish Strategic Grains Reserve this season.

It allocated Sh7.1 billion to buy 2.4 million bags but it exceeded the target after cartels imported cheap maize and selling it to NCPB at the expense of genuine farmers.

Farmers are demanding about Sh4 billion for maize deliveries to the board.

It also emerged that some farmers  have opted to selling their produce to animals feed manufacturers as maize and wheat prices depreciates due to oversupply of  produce that has outstripped demand.

COSTS

“We can now mill our own animal feeds from the low cost maize and wheat produce that has cut down milk production costs,” said Joshua Melly from Cheboite, Nandi County.

The farmers have petitioned the government to handover the NCPB functions to the County Government after the agriculture department was transferred to devolved units.

They said decentralisation of NCPB will safeguard it from mismanagement of resources including funds meant to pay them for their produce and distribution of subsidized farm inputs.

“Governors and County officials understand farmers in their jurisdiction and need to be given an upper hand on management of NCPB for delivery of quality services,” said Kipkorir Menjo, Kenya Farmers Association director during a farmers meeting in Eldoret.

North Rift leaders have claimed that all the 21 people mentioned as having supplied maize to NCPB were genuine farmers who are well known but were being used as sacrificial lambs to protect cartels in the maize sector.

“Give us the names of the real culprits. Does it mean only the 21 people filled all the NCPB stores?” said Mr Tiren.

He called on the government to release emergency funds to purchase all maize from farmers.