House team points finger at former PS over suspect maize imports

By Patrick Beja

A parliamentary watchdog is blaming a former Agriculture PS for the importation of cheap genetically modified maize.

The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday claimed the PS wrote to his officers directing them to exempt imported maize from GM inspection.

The committee has consequently vowed to establish why the PS wrote such a letter allowing 240,000 metric tonnes of suspected GM maize to be imported.

PSC Chairman John Mututho also wondered why Agriculture Minister William Ruto had not issued guidelines to Kenya Bureau of Standards and Kenya Plant Inspectorate Service (Kephis) for inspection of maize.

"It is bad that GM has found its way into the country’s market. The Ministry of Agriculture has relaxed while departments of agriculture, forestry and fisheries elsewhere in South Africa have been alert," said the Naivasha MP.

Relief food

The maize, the committee said, started coming to Kenya during the importation of relief food supplies.

Mututho said GM maize was cheaper by 40 per cent compared to natural maize and that was why international traders preferred it.

He was briefing the Press at Grain Bulk Handlers Ltd boardroom on Monday evening after grilling Coast Kephis Manager James Wahome.

The committee collected a sample of the maize from a GBHL silo for laboratory tests.

Findings of the investigation would be tabled in Parliament later in the week, Mututho said.