Revealed: Ksh.619M paid for maize subsidy program in Uhuru Gov’t cannot be accounted for

Fresh details have emerged regarding the Ksh.7.2 billion maize subsidy program that is currently being investigated by a Parliamentary committee.

The Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Livestock John Mutunga on Wednesday revealed that a total of Ksh.619 million that was supposed to be part of the Ksh.4 billion paid to millers cannot be accounted for.

“We have gone through all the receipts from millers who were paid and shortlisted for the subsidy program. Between Ksh.619 million and Ksh.620 million is missing,” said Mutunga, who is also the Tigania West MP.

The Parliamentary Agriculture watchdog is calling upon the Auditor General, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as well as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe government officials from the National Treasury, Ministry of Agriculture as well as the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) implicated in the alleged heist.

Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe said: “The officials should also appear before this committee and explain how tax payers’ money got lost. There was someone who wanted money somewhere siphoned out of the public coffers, and that is why they were under instructions not to supervise.”

“We will call out all those involved...because decisions were made at the ministry...there were decisions made at State House... there were decisions made at Treasury,” added Mutunga.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Lunturi told the legislators that the programme was ‘hot air’ as there is no evidence to date indicating that the subsidized maize flour was stocked in retail shops.

“Those found culpable must be able to account for their actions. Otherwise, even when I sit here and struggle to give answers, to me honestly this was a front,” said Linturi.

It has also emerged that some millers who benefited from the controversial subsidy program were not prequalified, while some received more money than what they ought to have supplied.

The government paid Ksh.4 billion out of the Ksh.7.2 billion to contracted millers for the maize subsidy programme between July and August 2022, with some millers under the Cereals Millers Association claiming over Ksh.2.9 billion as pending bills.