Posted on May, 10, 2023 at 11:46 pm
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, May 10, told top government officials in the Ministry of Agriculture to get their acts together and re-align to the Kenya Kwanza agenda.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with the project coordinators at his Harambee House Annex office, Gachagua noted that Agriculture is the backbone of the country, as such, officials in the sector must get work done.
In the wake of the struggling mass importation of maize that was meant to cushion Keyans from the high cost of maize flour, the DP ordered the Ministry of Agriculture to align them with the Kenya Kwanza Plan, noting that the country must get value for money invested in such projects.
During the high-stakes meeting, the seemingly concerned second in command wondered why the implementation of critical government projects was slow.
“The government has a mandate to deliver and all the projects funded by the government should be aligned with the Kenya Kwanza Plan,” Gachagua stated.
The Deputy President wondered why it took the Ministry of Agriculture too long to come up with solutions to simple tasks that would greatly benefit the majority of Kenyans.
“We must get value for money invested in the projects. We must utilize the funds prudently for the benefit of our people,” Gachagua observed.
Kenya - Zambia maize deal
Gachagua's warning came a fortnight after Zambia on Wednesday, April 12, told Kenyan officials at the Ministry of Agriculture that they did not have maize for export, despite the initial agreement.
Zambian Finance Minister, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane explained that Zambia will instead be importing maize to supplement the shortfalls occasioned by a poor harvest last season.
“I think we all know that there has been a shortage of maize, especially in border areas near Tanzania, Congo and Malawi. In the most immediate response, the government decided that we allow importation to supplement whatever we have so that shortages can be alleviated,” stated Dr Musokotwane.
In response, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi piled pressure on millers and warned them of dire consequences should they fail to import maize as earlier agreed with the government.
Maize prices largely remain high across all retail outlets, with most brands selling between Ksh180 to Ksh200, however, this is a significant reduction in prices as compared to eight months ago.
Gachagua observed that there was concern that implementation of the projects was slow, asking them to hasten for Kenyans to draw benefits from them.
He stated that the Kenya Kwanza Administration led by President William Ruto had placed food security as one of the key pillars in its manifesto and is rolling out crucial programmes to rejuvenate the agriculture sector to ensure higher and quality production in the farms.
The DP stated the President was keen on the success of the ongoing projects adding that they were critical in the realization of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Principal Secretary Crops Development Kello Harsama and Livestock Development counterpart Harry Kimtai were present during the meeting.
Source: Kenyans.co.ke