Politics of maize

By Gakuu Mathenge

The circus around maize stuck at the Port of Mombasa, over which Government officials have given clashing signals, is still on. Coming hot on the heels of the saga around the unresolved scandal on emptying of the national strategic reserve, now the Government concedes even in the face of raging food crisis, the stock worth Sh217 million cannot be distributed.

"We do not believe the maize is bad, but we cannot take chances with people’s lives following the doubts and politics of the consignment. If someone fell sick, it could be blamed on the maize," PS for Special Programmes Ali Dawood said in an interview on Thursday. The consignment is 6,200 metric tonnes. This is the stock Public Health Minister Beth Mugo said ‘disappeared’ and was either selling in the local market or had been spirited to Southern Sudan.

It is the stock whose safety is doubted, and feared could cause kidney ailments, or was condemned to be cleared cheaply at the port as cattle feed, then to be funnelled into either the local or cross-border markets.

This is the second chapter of maize politics.

When the saga around Agriculture Minister William Ruto and the National Cereals and Produce Board burst out, it was fought and lost, or won depending one’s political inclination. It was no longer about famine, but political competition, backstabbing, second-guessing, and the Kibaki succession.

The politics of maize has overshadowed the food crisis. Whenever the debate comes up, politics takes over. Politicians attack, criticise or join in on the basis of political affiliation, budding alliance and preference for who succeeds Kibaki in the 2012 General Election. Kenyans are then left wondering if political leaders care about the famished and emaciated.

Dawood assured Kenyans he had confirmed the consignment was still intact at the silos of Bulk Grain Handlers in Mombasa.

"There is intrigue over this maize, which is unfit for human and animal consumption. Somebody wants to sacrifice the lives of Kenyans for a profit," Mugo said, last week.

Demanding to know who had ‘cleared’ the maize, and where it was, she warned: "Kenyans could be consuming contaminated maize. We hope it is not in the market. But whoever is responsible for this maize should have shipped it back."

Mugo made it clear she was offended by the decision of the office of the Prime Minister to contract a private consultant, Intertek, to conduct independent tests on the stock, after tests by two Government agencies – the Government Chemist and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate, returned contradicting verdicts on the consignment.

Clean Bill Of Health

The Government Chemist, declared the maize had traces of aluminium phosphide, and which prompted the Kenya Bureau of Standards to declare the maize unfit for human consumption. Kebs did not conduct tests of its own.

But Kephis – under Ministry of Agriculture and a respected authority on bio-safety and analysis of imported plant products – gave it a clean bill of health.

With the Kephis and the Intertek tests certifying the maize safe, the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga charged that unscrupulous profiteers had engineered the condemnation to divert it.

The maize was imported last November by NCPB on behalf of the Ministry of Special Programmes, which is in charge of the Strategic Grain Reserves.

But when Special Programmes Minister Naomi Shabaan and Ruto met at Burnt Forest last week to launch ‘Operation Karibu Nyumbani’, none of them referred to the famine or the maize tussle.

Instead, it was Cherangany MP, a Ruto ally Joshua Kutuny, who let the cat out of the bag.

"Those people (Kikuyus) helped us during the Motion of censure against Ruto. ODM chairman, secretary general, party leader and deputy party leader were nowhere to be seen," Kuttuny said.

Ruto himself had said Justice Minister Martha Karua and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo plotted the censure Motion to undermine him.

Ruto wriggled out even as ODM top leaders Henry Kosgey (chairman), Anyang’ Nyong’ (secretary general) and Deputy Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi, stayed away.

Raila was absent but had mobilised ODM MPs behind Ruto, days earlier. On the PNU side were Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu chairman who were said to have handed Ruto a hidden lifeline.

Uhuru teamed with Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, both of whom have no time for Karua.

"The Motion lost all merit when Karua entered the fray. It became a pro- and anti-Karua political contest. But corruption is corruption regardless where it is committed.

"Many people are yet to forgive Karua for her role at the national tallying centre and the monkey tricks that messed the presidential vote in 2007," Assistant Minister, Calist Mwatela, said.

"The maize thing has been muddled. The high priest that Kiraitu wanted to be and the high priestess that Karua pretends to be is a fraud. Removing Ruto would destabilise the fragile coalition," said PNU spokesman, George Nyamweya.

At the centre of the maize scam, famine, and politics is the Prime Minister who, as supervisor and co-ordinator of government, has an eye on performance of ministries and departments.

As chairman of the Cabinet Cub-committee on Food Security, the country looks up to him for availability and affordability of food. Therefore, he has direct interest in the allegations of irregular sale of strategic reserve to profiteers. His committee also has interest in food safety.

Politically, the maize maze is threatening the unity of his party, ODM, with the Kalenjin constituency fomenting trouble over perceived betrayal of their leader, Ruto.