NAIROBI, Kenya — Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe is considering a request by the Cereal Millers Association (CMA) to allow the duty-free importation of 3 million metric tonnes of white maize as Kenya confronts its lowest production level in seven years and seeks to contain pressure on unga prices.
The proposal is part of a broader government response aimed at securing adequate maize supplies before a significant shortage develops.
At the same time, Kagwe said the government was keen to gazette 360,000 metric tonnes of yellow maize specifically for animal-feed manufacturing. The move is intended to shift feed manufacturers away from white maize, freeing more food-grade grain for human consumption and reducing competition between millers and feed producers.
“We cannot afford not to have maize,” Kagwe said during a grain-sector meeting convened to assess the country’s supply situation.
Millers seek 3 million tonnes duty-free
The CMA has asked the government to gazette 3 million tonnes of white maize for duty-free importation, arguing that the waiver would reduce landed costs, widen sourcing options and help keep unga prices affordable.
CMA Chief Executive Officer Paloma Fernandes said Kenya was facing a severe decline in maize production, with only six major producing counties expected to deliver more than one million bags during the current season.
“This is the steepest decline in production and it is huge for us,” Fernandes told the meeting.
The association wants the duty-free window to remain open for nine months, giving importers sufficient time to secure contracts, arrange financing and organise shipping.
A longer window would also allow millers to source competitively priced non-GMO white maize from regional and international markets rather than depending on a limited number of suppliers.
Kagwe supported consideration of the nine-month window, saying early action was necessary to ensure Kenya does not find itself without sufficient stocks.
Zambia, Tanzania considered as maize sources
Zambia and Tanzania have emerged as immediate regional sourcing options as Kenya seeks to bridge the anticipated supply gap.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Lilian Tomitom, confirmed that Zambia has maize available and said Kenyan traders operating in Zambia and Malawi were ready to facilitate supplies to Kenyan millers.
“There is enough maize,” Tomitom said.
Kagwe called for engagement with the Zambian government to negotiate a lower source price and address the high cost of transporting maize to Kenya.
Transport remains one of the major factors affecting the competitiveness of Zambian maize in the Kenyan market.
The CMA, however, warned that Tanzania could impose export restrictions if its domestic stocks come under pressure. Such restrictions could affect direct supplies from Tanzania as well as maize transported from Zambia through Tanzanian routes.
Fernandes therefore urged the government to give importers flexibility to source from alternative international markets whenever regional supplies become unavailable or commercially unviable.
Yellow maize earmarked for animal feed
While the 3 million-tonne white-maize duty waiver remains under consideration, Kagwe indicated that the government was already keen on the proposed gazettement of 360,000 tonnes of yellow maize for animal-feed manufacturing.
The intervention is designed to reduce the feed industry’s reliance on white maize, which is also a major food staple.
By increasing the availability of yellow maize for feed manufacturers, the government hopes to leave more white maize for millers producing flour for human consumption.
The two measures would therefore address different sides of the same supply problem: additional yellow maize would ease competition in the feed market, while duty-free white-maize imports would provide a buffer for the food market.
Kagwe insists on maize safety standards
Kagwe stressed that the urgency surrounding maize supplies would not justify compromising food safety.
He said all imported maize must meet Kenya’s sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, including standards governing moisture levels and aflatoxin contamination.
“Do not bring maize that is not going to pass the tests. There should be no maize in our stores that has been condemned,” he said.
The CS also called for faster laboratory testing so that maize quality can be established within approximately 10 minutes, rather than processes that can take four hours or, in some cases, several days.
He said faster testing should be accompanied by stronger border coordination to prevent delays from increasing the cost of imported grain.
Government seeks faster border clearance
Kagwe called for one-stop border processes to reduce clearance delays that can leave maize consignments waiting for between three and five days.
Such delays increase transport, storage and financing expenses, costs that can eventually be passed on to consumers through higher flour prices.
“Government must operate at the same pace as the private sector for efficiency,” Kagwe said.
The proposed reforms are intended to ensure that imported maize moves through the supply chain quickly without weakening inspection and quality-control requirements.
NCPB to strengthen grain reserves
The government is also seeking to rebuild the country’s strategic grain reserves.
The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has indicated that storage capacity equivalent to approximately two million 90-kilogramme bags is available.
“We want to stock our grain reserve,” Kagwe said.
The additional storage capacity is expected to support government efforts to maintain emergency stocks and respond to shortages.
However, securing physical storage is only one part of the challenge. The government must also ensure sufficient grain is available to fill those reserves while balancing the competing needs of millers, feed manufacturers and consumers.
Millers seek Sh4 billion subsidy arrears
Millers have also asked the government to settle approximately Sh4 billion they say remains outstanding from a subsidy programme implemented about five years ago.
The CMA argues that settling the outstanding funds would strengthen millers’ ability to purchase grain and rebuild stocks at a time when supplies are tightening.
The request adds another financial dimension to the maize-supply challenge, with millers facing the need to secure large quantities of grain while also managing the cost of imports, transport and financing.
Wheat sector faces separate supply pressure
The food-security concerns extend beyond maize, with the government also facing pressure in the wheat sector.
Kagwe called for increased domestic wheat production while exploring longer-term regional sources that could support commercial production.
The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Kenya will organise a retreat to examine measures for increasing domestic wheat production, including mechanisation, irrigation and productivity improvements.
The push reflects concerns that Kenya’s reliance on imported staples leaves consumers vulnerable to disruptions in international markets, regional supply constraints and rising production and transportation costs.
With maize and wheat both facing supply challenges, the government is under pressure to strengthen domestic production while securing sufficient imports to prevent shortages.
Government balances supply and affordability
For maize, the government’s immediate strategy is taking shape on two fronts.
The first is increasing yellow-maize supplies for animal-feed manufacturers to reduce their demand for white maize.
The second is considering the CMA’s request for duty-free importation of 3 million tonnes of white maize to bridge a projected food-market gap.
The proposed nine-month duty-free window would give millers greater flexibility to source grain, while regional supplies from Zambia and Tanzania could provide relatively quick alternatives.
