President William Ruto was confronted by a Kenyan farmer living in the United States over the fake fertilizer scandal during his state visit in the country.
The Kenyan man brought up the fertilizer scandal during a meeting on May 20, 2024, at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta, Georgia, where the head of state met with Kenyans living in the US.
During a question-and-answer session, the man noted that he was a Kenyan living in the US who practices wheat farming back in Narok County, Kenya.
According to him, the fake fertilizer scandal had highly affected him as he had incurred losses through the funds he used to purchase bags of fertilizer.
“I am from New York and a diaspora farmer. In that I mean have a lot of acres in Narok of wheat. This planting season I lost over Ksh250,000 on fake fertilizer which was sold to us by the National Cereal and Produce Board,” he said.
He further asked Ruto what his government was doing about the losses which were incurred by farmers like him who had purchased the fertilizer.
“We are suffering to this end. I’m not sure if the government knows or what it is that you need to tell us as farmers cause I’m trying to fight for my refund of almost a hundred bags that I got for fake fertilizer,” he questioned.
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Ruto on Fake Fertilizer Scandal
In his response, the Head of State said that the government had asked every farmer who got the fertilizer that was identified to be substandard to register for compensation.
Ruto further announced that seven thousand farmers have already registered, and that the government has full information of every farmer who will get equivalent fertilizer without having to pay.
Also, the President revealed that his government has taken action against the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Management.
“We have taken the managing director of the National Cereals and Produce Board and all his team. They are now waiting for prosecution. We have already sent them out of office, and we are going to deal with them firmly and conclusively,” added Ruto.
His remarks came after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi had an impeachment motion tabled before the National Assembly seeking to have him out of office for his involvement in the fertilizer scam.
Also Read: DCI Nabs Ksh1.8 M Worth Govt Fertilizer Enroute to Another Country
CS Linturi however survived the impeachment after an 11-member select committee tasked with the investigations into the scandal found no sufficient evidence to oust him from office.
NCPB on the other hand suspended the Managing Director Joseph Kimote and other officials who were involved in the scam on May 6, 2024.
The suspension came days after Kimote, along with NCPB’s Corporate Secretary and General Marketing Manager were arrested after the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) approved charges against them.
Maize Imports
Meanwhile, President Ruto during the same meeting with Kenyans living in the US unveiled an ambitious plan to end Kenya’s reliance on maize imports by next year.
He revealed the plan which also entails a broader goal to cease importing rice, wheat, and edible oils within the next five years.
“We are going to invest in production. By next year, we are not going to be importing a grain of maize. We will move on to rice, wheat, and in five years, the one billion dollars we use in import of edible oils. “I want to make sure that sunflower, soya, canola, and palm oil are grown in Kenya, so we don’t have to import again,” declared the President.
Ruto further praised the steady decline in the price of two-kilogram maize flour, attributing the improvement to increased production and government initiatives.
He maintained his stance that the government will not relent in making investments in the agriculture sector.
In addition to maize, the head of state stated that he aims to end the importation of edible oils within five years.
President William Ruto arrived in the United States of America for his three-day state visit on Monday, May 20 and is set to hold the main bilateral meetings with his host President Joe Biden on May 23.
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