Monday, March 13, 2023 – Prices of unga will not be coming down any time soon. This was revealed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who detailed reasons why the government’s plans to import duty-free maize into the country had derailed.
Speaking during a joint-media interview at Karen, Nairobi, Gachagua noted that there was stiff competition from East and West African countries in a bid to purchase maize from South Africa.
He added that the government opted out of purchasing maize from Brazil owing to the high costs incurred due to travel expenses.
“Cheap maize is not available anywhere in the world. The only available maize is from South Africa. We are in competition with Angola and Rwanda for the same maize. The maize in Brazil is too expensive to import because of the distance,” he stated.
The DP also noted that the government disregarded the direct importation of maize to provide transparency and avoid graft incidences.
He added that those who sought to import duty-free maize had to undergo a fair and transparent application process.
“The Government does not want to import maize directly because we don’t want corruption and scandals. We don’t want people in Government to get into business.”
“We advertised for millers and other people to apply, to get permits to import duty-free maize to bring down the cost of maize flour. Unfortunately, there is no maize almost everywhere in the world,” he pointed out.
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