External vigilance must be exercised in contaminated maize programme

The Government’s move to mop up contaminated maize from farmers in Eastern and Coast provinces to stop the circulation of maize with the deadly aflatoxin fungi in the market is noble.

The mopping up exercise is commendable because consumption of contaminated grains is fatal. In 2004, the country was shocked when 150 people lost their lives after consuming aflatoxin-infected maize.

So the Government’s move to timely analyse maize samples and mop up those contaminated is commendable.

But how the Government will go about the exercise will be of keen interest to the public.

The contaminated maize was caused by farmers not storing their cereals in recommended bags and well-ventilated rooms. This, coupled with high humidity because of the continuing heavy rains, poor storage and limited knowledge on how to dry the grains provide the right conditions for the growth of fungi that lead to aflatoxin.

So, the issue of compensation makes sense only as far as it is a tool of mopping up the maize and keeping it away from consumers.

The programme would have been more convincing if the Government had contracted farmers to grow the grain for its strategic grain reserves and failed to collect the grain for drying and proper storage. This should be a one off, as the Government doesn’t want to be seen as keen on compensating for ignorance or negligence.

High moisture

What the Government and National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) would have done earlier is to allow farmers to deliver their maize to NCPB silos even, with high moisture content, to allow proper drying.

Though measures are being taken to correct the situation in future by sensitising farmers on good storage practices and even mooting plant to put up drying and storage facilities, it is paramount that when such a bumper harvest is expected, Government technocrats must exhibit foresight.

The public should also be vigilant on how farmers to be compensated will be identified, how many bags of maize will be mopped up in the exercise and how much will be paid per bag.

At the end of the exercise, the cash spent should tally with the maize stocks.

It is still fresh in the minds of Kenyans how such acts meant to cushion the farmers have been exploited by corrupt Government officials and middlemen fronted by powerful individuals at the expense of deserving farmers.

It is the same inter-ministerial committee under the Prime Minister which presided over the subsidised maize and maize flour which was marred by cases of corruption in which Government officials and their cronies made a kill.

In the case of the subsidised maize, middlemen ended up benefiting from it by selling to millers at a higher price, which led to skyrocketing price of the commodity in the market.

Currently, three Permanent Secretaries and former NCPB managers are on suspension and under investigation on their role in the scam.

The fertiliser subsidy is another one, which has been misused by well-connected individuals. Kenyans have been treated to news of some fertiliser being impounded in private warehouses and answers are no forthcoming on the faces behind the scam.

There is also the unresolved issue of GMO maize. Up to now, the public is still treated to unending drama on who ordered, for who and when.

Cash cow

The public is now wary that though well meaning, some of these programmes are have turned to be a cash cow by corrupt civil servants in cahoots with crooks posing as businessmen.

What is more surprising is that these programmes which have ended up gobbling colossal sums of tax payers money revolve around the Cabinet committee on food security chaired by the Prime Minister.

Dr Sally Kosgey, the new minister for Agriculture is an experienced hand in Government and we expect that she should use that experience to seal every loophole that crooks will seek to exploit to make a quick buck by denying deserving farmers the benefit of the programme. She must also ensure that the mopped up contaminated maize does not find its way back to the market.