Maize mess: Raila explains puzzle

By Alex Ndegwa and Mutinda Mwanzia

The messy maize scandal took a new twist on Wednesday as Prime Minister Raila Odinga was put on the spot over the role his office played in the scam.

Members of Parliament sought to know whether the consignment in the Grain Bulk Handling silos was the one at the centre of the controversy.

Soon after Raila gave an extensive statement on the contaminated maize that has lately put his office and that of the Ministry of Public Health on a collision course, two members tabled documents to counter his explanation.

Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo told the House that the condemned maize had been released to the market contrary to test results by Government agencies that proscribed the grain as unfit for human consumption.

Kiema claimed the 6,320 metric tonnes of the disputed maize had been replaced with another consignment to mislead a Government team

of four Permanent Secretaries sent to inspect the shipment at the Mombasa Port. He questioned why the maize was offloaded without presence of relevant

State agencies and why it was taken to a private warehouse instead of being transported to a Government silo under security.

But Raila said the consignment was intact and was now the property of the insurer who had provided an

indemnity for the maize. Its destruction, he added, would be done in accordance with safety standards.

"The maize at the Port is different from the consignment that was found to be contaminated. The poisonous maize is already in circulation in the market," Kiema claimed.

Read letter

The MP read out a letter written by Industrialisation PS John Lonyangapuo, who was part of the sub-committee appointed by the PM to look into

the scandal.

Kiema also tabled affidavits sworn by Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) managing director, Dr Kioko Mang’eli and Joel Njoroge Gikubu, the Kebs chief manager in charge of testing.

The letters and the affidavits appeared to contradict the PM, maintaining that the grains were unfit for

human consumption and had been released to the public under duress.

Kiema further alleged that Intertek International — a private firm contracted by the Office of Prime Minister gave the consignment a clean bill of health — had been planted at the Port during the inspection. The assessors who had travelled to Mombasa felt ambushed by representatives of Intertek, as they were not part of the team,

according to the PS’s letter.

Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau tabled an affidavit sworn by Kebs. In his signed affidavit, Dr Mang’eli claimed

the Office of PM used "threats and coerced Kebs" to sanction release of the condemned consignment.

According to the affidavit, Kebs condemned the maize after it failed the test on discolorations and was contaminated with Aluminium Phosphide

Test results were released on December 1, 2008. Interestingly, the affidavits by Mang’eli claimed the

Administration Secretary in the PM’s office, Mr Caroli Omondi, was specifically involved in placing calls to

have the condemned maize consignment released into the country from the ship.

Mang’eli claims Omondi called him severally on a landline from the PM’s office and that of NCPB, asking him to "behave or he would deal with me". Mang’eli claims the matter of the imported maize first came to his attention in August 2008 when he received a call from Omondi.

"He asked me to co-operate and have the maize released,’ said Mang’eli. He added Kebs tested the maize in dispute and one hatch (ship compartment) failed the test due to discolouration.

He ordered that it be reshipped back to the country of origin.

"I still stand by Kebs’ decision condemning the maize and ordering its reshipment to the country of origin,"

Mange’li said in his affidavit.

He said Kebs did not authorise the offloading and discharging of the contaminated maize.

In custody

But Raila maintained the controversial maize was still in custody and tabled a letter by Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General Michael

Waweru dated May 13, saying the cargo was still at the port.

"We should not play politics with this matter," Raila said, adding: "These are people who are trying to defend themselves (referring to Lonyangapuo’s

letter). Somebody expected to make money on this."

However, while Raila told Parliament that the entire tainted consignment was still being held at the port,

Commissioner of Customs Wambui Namu could only confirm "a small quantity of the condemned maize is

at the silos in Mombasa."

Questions still abound as to the whereabouts of the rest of the consignment.

In Mange’li affidavit, that was copied to Public Health Minister Beth Mugo, Kebs was not involved in the

off-loading of the maize nor did it supervise the same. "I am therefore unable to say where the maize was taken," said Mange’li.

Dismiss Kebs

Gikubu on his part says he received maize samples for testing at Kebs Coast. But in a meeting in the PM’s office on February 26, Gikubu claims he heard the PM dismiss Kebs and the Government Chemist as "not professional in their work and their test reports

cannot be relied upon to determine the quality of maize."

It was soon after this meeting that Intertek came in to carry tests, according Kiema Kilonzo.

The matter first came to the fore when Naivasha MP John Mututho tabled a report of the Parliamentary

committee on Agriculture that recommended

that the PM’s aide and son be investigated, and Kephis and Kebs bosses be protected. Mugo on Monday sensationally claimed that the contaminated maize had been re-