Government takes action after Raila visited Uchumi and found no Unga

dennis kibet

June 19, 2017 12:35 PM

The move comes barely hours after Raila missed Unga at an Uchumi Supermarket.

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga during an impromptu visit to Uchumi supermarket on Sunday, June 18, 2017.

The government has moved swiftly to address the current Unga shortage currently facing the country barely hours after Nasa leader Raila Odinga visited an Uchumi Supermarket in Nairobi and lacked the maize flour.

On Monday, the government assured consumers of constant supply of Sh90 maize flour ending shortage that has persisted in the country for months.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett said he has already received 1.2 million bags of maize and expects another 3.2 million bags to address the shortage.

“We are going to engage the services of Standard Gauge Railway, RVR and the normal transport system to ensure the maize moves on time from the port to millers,” he said.

Shortly after he missed the maize flour during an impromptu visit at a Westlands Uchumi Supermarket Raila accused the Jubilee administration of politicising the maize shortage issue and incompetence in dealing with the crisis.

“Jubilee is withholding its services with a view to procuring and supplying food in the final weeks to the August 8 elections so that relief food can be used as a tool to buy support as used to be done in KANU days,” said Raila.

The Nasa leader accused Uhuru and his administration of deliberately orchestrating the current unga shortage, to starve Kenyans into desperation, submission and surrender.

"The government is only supplying 90 per cent of the maize from the Strategic Grain Reserves to large maize millers who control only 40 per cent of the unga market while forgetting the small scale local millers and posho mills who command more than 60 per cent of the market," Raila said.

He also accused the government of failing to reveal the support it received from donors and development after sending an appeal for assistance.

dennis kibet