The war between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for the control of Jubilee Party has been reignited. This is after proposed changes to one of its top decision-making organs the National Management Committee were gazzeted by Registrar of Political Parties.
Sources told Kenyan Bulletin that CS Munya made the shocking announcement after emerging from a private meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta. He announced that the government was planning to import four million bags of maize within the month of April.
This is a shocking announcement tobDP Ruto allied maize hoarding cartels that had hoped to reap off the coffers.
Kenyan Bulletin has also leanrt that, amidst the Coronavirus crisis, the Strategic Food Reserve Oversight Board had issued an advisory to the Government for importation of four million bags of white and yellow maize before May to curb a possible flour crisis following projections that existing stocks will run out by April.
As the Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga confirmed that his ministry had this week begun mopping up surplus food supplies in the country as part of its preparedness in mitigating the coronavirus crisis, intelligence sources told Kenyan Bulletin most of the commodities was being amassed by firms associated with high ranking individuals in government led by DP Ruto.
Among those hoarding maize were Ruto, his son Nick, Senator Susan Kihika, Senator Murkomen, and MPs Oscar Sudi and Kimani Ichungwa.
Another source has informed us that through the machinations of former fired Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, the family of DP Ruto and some of his key allies had acquired large portions of maize cheaply from farmers and kept them in warehouses around the country.
A local daily had published that the exact quantity of the hoarded maize is unknown but sources close to the DP told Kenyan Bulletin that what Ruto and his allies had was cumulatively upwards of five million Bags. Has Kenyatta chopped off Ruto’s anti-handshake campaign funds?
We are staring at a foreseeable Maize flour shortage. While maize cartels are hoarding large quantities of maize. This ,understandably, has constantly led to an acute shortage of maize flour which is a staple food for majority of Kenyans and invariably resulted to higher prices.
The government plan to import maize is thought to be one intended to avoid buying Ruto’s maize further economically isolating the Deputy President who has seen most of his business deals frustrated by government.
Ruto has also been shunted out of mainstream government operations with Interior CS Fred Matiang’i assuming cabinet supervisory roles.
This week Ruto summoned a crisis meeting with some of his allies where discussion to plans to have the Agriculture and Livestock Committee summon CS Munya were held.
Nonetheless, the Speaker Justin Muturi suspended parliamentary sitting until further notice soon after President Kenyatta ordered cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi for twenty-one days.
Kenyan Bulletin has learnt that State House had approved importation of two million bags of emergency maize stock to meet demand from millers but a row had emerged between the National Treasury and the Strategic Food Reserve Oversight Board over who would be responsible for overseeing the importation.
Kenyan Bulletin can authoritatively reveal that it was resolved that National Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, will import the maize directly. This means Ruto cartels within the Agricultural docket and its agencies had been sidestepped.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has been fighting well established cartels in the docket who control most of the food supplies and prices.
Two years ago, Koilel Farm Limited whose Directors are the Deputy President William Ruto’s wife Rachel Chebet Kimeto and son Nicholas Kipkurgat Ruto was placed under Ethics and Anti Corruption investigations following a mysterious duopoly of maize in which the firm was paid Sh20 million.
