After several warning from the president CS Mwangi Kiunjuri yesterday came out to defend himself.
Kenyans on social media have also ganged up to hit hard on Kiunjuri who is making farmers to suffer in order to satisfy few individuals on the inner circle.
#FailedKiunjuri
Maize brought into the country from Uganda was delivered to six National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in Western Kenya by cartels who received Sh2 billion at the expense of genuine farmers.— Kenya (@KenyaFire) October 24, 2018
Few people are benefiting instead of farmers, which has really angered the Kenyans that they have armed themselves to let their cries out and fight for the rights of farmers who are being suppressed.
Kiunjuri, who has been on the receiving end of President Kenyatta’s ire twice in a week, said that most of the monies were paid before he assumed office seeming to finger his predecessor Willy Bett.
“To this far we have paid, Ksh.9.4 billion, of this, Ksh.7 billion was paid or released by the government before I assumed office or properly assumed office because those funds released in February were not paid the same day but the monies had been released,” said the CS.
he CS said that Ksh.2.5 billion is suspected to have to been paid to “unscrupulous traders” stressing that this was done in the first batch of payments which happened in February.
#FailedKiunjuri
The produce but cannot get market for their maize. That is the lives of maize farmers pic.twitter.com/ihWhVq3OGv— Kenya (@KenyaFire) October 24, 2018
“The monies suspected to have gone to unscrupulous traders; the first tranche was that paid to 152 traders which constitute Ksh.2 billion and we are yet to pay another 1.4 billion but we have another 74 farmers we are suspicious of whom we paid another Ksh.500 million and we are yet to pay them their balance of Ksh.419 million. Roughly, we have paid Ksh.2.5 billion to traders.”
According to Kiunjuri, the Head Office Finance Manager, operational and assistant managers, clerks in the North and South Rift have since been suspended noting that the former Managing Director is in court to answer to graft charges.
The failure is the President of republic who keeps appointing this failures.Kiunjuri is just escape goat. #FailedKiunjuri
— james kamau muya (@james_muya) October 24, 2018
Mr. Kiunjuri said that if the payments were regularly done and directed to farmers, the issue would have been sorted early this year.
“This Ksh.2 billion was paid between October and December. If we really paid farmers, today, we could not have been having the frustration, we could have cleared with the farmers,” Kiunjuri said.
The anti-graft agency revealed shocking details on how Sh11.3 billion meant to buy maize from farmers was instead pilfered through an elaborate scheme involving traders and employees of the National Cereals and Produce Board #FailedKiunjuri pic.twitter.com/rpwCDX6Wgy
— MugamboWaAfrica (@MugamboWaAfrica) October 24, 2018
“But if you go back, it would have been very clear that by February of this year, we could have been able to clear all farmers, the outstanding monies.”
CS Kiunjuri said 514 farmers out of 900 have received up to 91% of the amount they were claiming adding that the remainder was to be cleared by close of business Tuesday. He said he has requested Ksh.126 million from the Treasurer to pay the balance.
He further said the ministry is yet to pay Ksh.217 million owed to 44 farmers who collected verification forms but failed to return them to their respective deports in time while 74 farmers won’t be paid as their deliveries don’t match the authorised quantities by the vetting body