The good, the bad and the ugly side of Kenya's maize sector

Maize, A Kenyan 'Darling' dish

source:food stampede

Wait a minute!!! These are my county men and women scrambling for maize flour.  This happened after a subsidy on maize flour was issued with a restriction of 2 packets of Flour per buyer. But why do we subject ourselves to such hustle amidst cheaper alternatives.  The case of Maize flour shortage in Kenya is a case of mismanagement and insatiable maize consumption from Kenyans. 

The the problem we have as a country, over dependence on maize  as a staple food. Whereas eating Ugali on almost daily basis for most households in Kenya sounds very Kenyan is not economically rational being that there are cheaper alternatives,  on average Kenyan spends  a lot on Unga compared to other alternatives. Crop diversification gives a good solution to perennial maize problem. The hard question is;  are Kenyans willing to make a change in preference or  trade off in their food basket.  Having said that let try to see how the maize sector looks like.

Mention food security and any Kenyan will give you maize.  Maize is the most cultivated crop in the country. this makes it very important politically, economically and culturally.  Despite continuous intervention from the Government to ensure maize security, the efforts has yielded very volatile climate for maize in terms of market availability and price volatility. This has rendered small holder maize farmers to be extremely vulnerable to shocks especially climate related shocks.  The rate at which maize is moving from being equated to food security  to be the main source of poverty for many farmers who cultivate it is worrying.  

Maize is the Kenyas staple food and enough supply of the commodity is equated to food  security. However due to poor soils, bad weather and over reliance on rain fed agriculture, maize production has proven to be too risky for farmers. In fact in some seasons farmers loses the whole crop to pests and diseases. Last year many farmers suffered losses  due to Fall Armyworm outbreak.This culminated to flooding the market with cheap maize imports from the neighbours who happen to have a comparative advantage in the production of maize. A dilemma exists on how to keep the prices as low as possible for the consumers at the same time creating incentives for more maize production and increase productivity. Continuous supply of maize throughout the year to ensure food security is politically, socially and economically imperative.

STATE INTERVENTION ON MAIZE SECTOR

The role of government is crucial in protecting both the consumers and the producers. The input subsidy program has been there since and its  proving too expensive. Despite the implementation of the subsidy program, Kenya still experience food shortage. We can say the bad seasons out do the good seasons culminating to net food shortage. A case in point is when the shortage happened last year and Government was forced to move with speed to allow import of maize so as to cushion consumers from high food prices. 

Whereas as a country we should be thinking of  how farmers graduate from the subsidy program, the maize problems are not ending soon. Its unfortunate that when farmers have bumper harvest, there is no market for their maize produce since the market is flooded with cheap imports and the grain reserves are up to capacity. Powerful actors have been able to ‘tilt the playing field’, framing the problem in such a way as to demand the type of solution that they already have to offer. Worse still the politics surrounding the crop are unfathomable though i don't want to dwell so much on politics. The important question is do we have a solution to this perennial maize problem, how can farmers  increase their revenues and curb the problem of inadequate food production.

Is "hand shake" a possible solution for maize production: contract farming

Maize is equated to food security, contract farming is suggested to be a solution to cushion the country from being basic food importer, however, the loopholes for such an arrangement are many and monitoring to ensure that the maize supplied to the grain reserves (NCPB) is from genuine farmers is difficult.  Kenya is also faced by cheap maize from Uganda and Tanzania so businessmen will always grasp the opportunity and make abnormal profits.

In the event of contract farming the production risks are shared among the producers and the buyers of the produce. It reduces the transaction costs in the food supply chain as well as solving the problem of market imperfections by linking farmers to the market. 

Success stories of contract farming are evidenced in the high valued crops - horticultural crops mostly fruits, vegetables and animal products destined for export market. Contract-farming leads to higher productivity, higher profits and higher net farm incomes; that it reduces price variability and leads to higher income stability; that it increases farmers’ subjective well being; and that it can create productivity spillover effects to other crops. Overwhelming evidence point out that contract improve access to inputs, credit, advanced technology, improves farm productivity and income. The question is can this be replicated for our darling maize sector?

There is very few evidence on contract-farming in staple food chains and chains connecting farmers to domestic markets. Contract enforcement is difficult for food staples in times of drought. The breach of such a contract and the probability of unprincipled sales is quite high since most staples are not highly perishable hence relatively easy to store and transport. 
In contract enforcement price premium is common, this is not possible in staples since quality upgrading and specialised value addition is almost impossible in staples. buyers of the staple are less quality sensitive, markets are widely spread and characteristics of spot markets overshadows the contract traits in food chains.  Therefore contract maize farming is nearly impossible in Kenya however it may look as the most lucrative solution to our darling maize sector

Diversification as a solution to perennial maize sector shocks.
Maize is the most popular crop for food for almost all rural households in Kenya. Maize has dragged the overall agricultural GDP. Whereas other agricultural sub sector appears to be vibrant, maize sector has dragged along by all standards. Government through farm input subsidy program encouraged smallholder farmers to be food self-sufficient by increasing maize production at the expense of other crops. Fertiliser subsidy program encourages  farmers to devote more land and other resources to maize cultivation. Consequently farmers are discouraged from diversifying an adaptation strategy to most form of shocks and vulnerabilities.

Whichever way one may look at it maize over dependence has always and will always increase households vulnerability to climate change shocks.  Input subsidy program is not only expensive but also discourages diversification by encouraging farmers to depend on a single crop -maize. The drive to maximise aggregate maize production as the primary route to national food security conflicts with and ultimately  on farm crop diversification activity as a climate adaptation strategy.

Despite most expert advice favouring diversification as a strategy to mitigate climate shocks and favour sustainable farming systems, the fertiliser subsidy program seems to strengthen dependence on a single crop. a move away from diversification. Crop diversification as a strategy to reduce maize dependence represent a faithful strategy to safeguard rural livelihoods in the context of uncertain climates. 

A multi stakeholder approach gives a consensus support to Crop diversification. Climate change project planners view diversification as a way to  ‘cushion’ against adverse climatic shocks, farmers view it  as a means to ensure food security,  extension officials view it as an entry point for improving soil health, and by donors as a ‘means to improve the nutritional status of a society deeply wedded to maize food products.

Nevertheless, major challenges remain, not least the political, economic and cultural dominance of maize. The narrative of crop diversification for climate change adaptation is thus confronted by ‘the political imperative to ensure food security, which is equated with having enough maize at both national and household levels’ as well as ‘a strong cultural orientation that equates food with maize’

While the initial aim was to ‘kick start farmers into using higher yielding hybrid seed and

inorganic fertilisers’ as a way to break the low maize productivity trap, the programme has also functioned as a social protection mechanism that has reduced the need for food aid  however ‘the input subsidy programme has failed to promote crop diversification even though it was designed as such. Its high time efforts need to be made to wean farmers and consumers from maize over dependence trap. In fact the Some of the huge investment dedicated to fertiliser subsidy should instead be used to promote crop diversification. 

Are our children safe in this digital era?

Social media: Children safety online

A child is a person under 18 years of age. Approximately 80% of children have access to internet, they own a tablet, smart phones and the ease in the use of digital platforms is a game changer. This has changed the way children interact, learn and spend their free time. The popularity of social media among the youth  is quite high. Two in every three internet users in Kenya are youths and approximately 71% of the youths aged beween 15-24 years are online. Children are the most connected age group in the world.

image source: pixabay.com

The danger is at any moment  there are over 750,000 online individuals looking to connect with children. Such connection are aimed at exploiting children. A child is naïve, easily trusts and not able to fully discern what is good or bad and online criminals take advantage of children naivety. Social media and internet has a lot of influence on children both good and bad, without proper guidance on social media use, children safety is threatened. social media can invite criminals to violate various children rights; right to privacy, right to safety and free from any form of abuse.

Benefits of the internet and social media to children

• Access news which can help protect their health, safety and rights.
• Inform them of the educational, training and job opportunities which can help break the vicious cycle of poverty.
• Help children to hone their communication skills and express themselves freely
• Can help them enhance their networking skills
• A good platform to learn a skill or two needed in their lives.

How the safety of children is threatened online

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Child sexual abuse and exploitation - the children online predators uses social media to locate and target vulnerable children to undertake their mission. Through the use of unprotected profiles and gaming forums, child sex offenders can reach children on social media. By use of encrypted platforms and false identity, the offenders can not be detected easily and can runaway with it. Worse still they can pursue multiple children at the same time. Sharing of intimate photos and videos among children is another vice of internet to children. Sharing inappropriate content is not only from an adult to a child but its also  being propagated among children via messaging app.

image source:cyber bullying

Cyberbullying- a thing we used to call 'monolization' used to happen in the confines of the school premises, with the advent of the internet, social media and online games are the places where most bullying happens. Internet never forgets and once something is posted cannot be deleted. This malice meant to cause harm and hurt a person is very impactful as once those images and words are posted cannot be deleted and will reach many people hence gross victimization of the child. Cyberbullying has claimed many lives and has fatal effects where kids commit suicide as a result of bullying. Kenya was ranked as the worst country in protecting children against cyber bullying. It's high time that parents and teachers create more awareness of social media to children.

Use of digital platforms have immensely reduced time for doing constructive work like learning. 

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In as much as social media expose children to more knowledgeable materials, children tend to spend more time at the expense of learning time. Some kids chat way past their sleeping time affecting their physical and mental activity. Excessive use will lead to poor performance in  school and life in general.

Certain content shared online threatens the safety of kids online, they can pose health risks, encourage kids to harm themselves and commit suicide. No one controls the information posted on social media and some of this information is not for kids consumption. This culminates to kids bumping into obscene, harmful content likely to influence their thinking process. Online gambling which is highly advertised on social media is also an activity not safe for kids and very addictive. Kids are found to use their money or parents money to gamble. As listed, children should not share sensitive information with the public on social media.

Publishing personal information on the social media, children may not be abreast on what to post and not to post on their digital platforms. Personal information might expose them to security risks. Some kids even post their physical address on their social media profiles.With posting such information a kidnapper will locate the kids easily. This article gives a hint on what should not be shared on digital platforms. 

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Clicking on malicious links and attachments on their emails- children might not know the danger of clicking on emails sent by strangers. Scammers use such tricks to gather information of childrens' friends such as email address and names of their friends for scams. Children should be warned of clicking emails from strangers.

Victims of scams- Children might fall for a trick to give their parents bank details with a promise to get a present from cybercriminals. Young people are not careful and might not know a scam  from the onset.

Unknowingly downloading malware-  Children might accidentally install programs likely to cause harm to their gadget (computer, tablet or smart phones).  Malwares are created to steal personal information from a computer by cybercriminals. Children need to be made aware of such malware, an antivirus can also safeguard them from such risks.

Careless posts on social media by a child can come to him/her later in life. People have lost jobs due to posts they made on social media not pleasant to their employer. It's therefore important to tell kids to be responsible facebook users as its cost them a fortune.

How can we mitigate the risks faced by children online

The risks exposed to children in this digital era are many, but how do we minimize them and maximize the benefits of internet use to our children;

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Parents Communicating with children on the risks as they increasingly use the online platforms in expanding their knowledge, socializing, expressing their opinions, entertaining themselves, access information and solutions to worlds problems is very crucial.

Intergenerational  gap in terms of digital literacy exists, there is  therefore a need to train teachers and parents on issues appertaining to children online safety.

Knowing the kind of people your child communicate with will protect the child alot.

In conclusion, the benefits of internet to children are many and the use of internet also exposes children to many risks. Therefore, children on their own are not safe in this digital era. With the help of parents and teachers, children can make most of the internet. Communication and creating awareness on the risks involved in the use of internet is the key part of this conversation. 

How can the spread of fake news be curbed without curtailing the freedom of expression?

Fake News: The new cancer online

The term fake news is not a new phenomenon however the volume,  speed of spread, accessibility and dissemination are new.  In an era where 44 million Kenyans can access internet and anyone anywhere can send any information to anybody then internet has revolutionalize the spread of fake news. The recent election events drew attention pointing to an increase in the number of fake news making rounds on social media. Social media has given fake news an excellent breeding ground.

What's the motive of fake news

The two main motive for fake news is to: insert influence;

image source:pixabay

Heightening tension in the country during election, 

Distort election campaigns- fake news played tricks on Paul Otuoma in his bid for gubernatorial race in Kenya and to damage opponent’s reputation

Quick way to make money-bloggers are making millions through ads by creating fake contents which will generate huge traffic.

Propaganda and misinformation are the newest cancer online and there is a big challenge in dealing with them. When fake news is mentioned the events that took center stage after august 8 2017 elections up to the repeat elections in Kenya always comes to ones mind. It is during this period that fake news dominated our social media platforms. 

In a polarized country, biased news spread like bush fire so as to serve political interests . Kenya has a record of negative ethnicity, social media gives the youths a platform to air out their grievances about past injustices while fake news are spread aimed to propagate the hatred among tribes to serve political ends.

A fake new will make its way and reach half of the world while the truth is still deciding the shoe to wear. What does that tell us? Fake news spread very fast since its feeds population crave for information. There is therefore need to devise ways of curbing fake news without curtailing the very freedom of expression.

Ways to curb fake news without curtaling freedom of expression

Facts checking- stop, reflect and verify

Some of the websites looks suspicious for example some political pages (uhuru for us) attracts huge traffics but the individuals behind such accounts  are not known. Therefore information from such accounts should be handled with care. People are good at sending some fake news under the umbrella of sent as received message.  Before hitting on that button it is good to stop verify and reflect on the content so as not to be an agent of spreading of fake news.

Infohub enumerated various ways to spot fake news:

Being skeptical about the headlines. Misinformation mongers always use catchy headlines to spread  fake news. This will attracts many to click and read the story.

image source: fake-news

Confirm the date, Old stories are likely to pop up even when they are not relevant to the present events

Interrogate the source: Interrogating the websites which hosts that information. Many fake news website seems legit and very appealing to any casual observer, interrogating the website before sharing the content is therefore very important. Fake news websites have links very similar to those of credible websites or trusted sources. Another unique thing on fake news websites is that they are dominated by ads, more ads than content automatically indicating quick spams for money. It is therefore important to know how a fake link looks like so as to curb the spread of fake news.

Examine any supporting link or source attached to the article: Check whether the information that appears after clicking the link supports the article, any discrepancy indicate fake news.

image source: propaganda

Check for your personal biases: Any information skewed  towards a certain sides and satisfying ones beliefs can influences ones judgment. Hate speech and tribal statements can be readily accepted as true by tribalists.

Check the author, do a quick background check of the author, find out if he is credible.

Check for grammatical errors- reputable organizations hardly make spelling and grammatical errors. A fake aljaazeeranews-tv.com contained many grammatical errors.  

Use tools such as google reverse image search to fact check photos used in the news and check by meedan to verify breaking news stories.  Such innovations will help identify the original source of the image. Reverse image search helps in verifying the authenticity of a photo used in the story. 

A good example is where a photo of Nyali MP Mohammed Ali was doing round being accused of defying orders from his party leader and went ahead to vote on august 26th 2018. google reverse image tool detected that the photo was taken on august 8th election.

Creating awareness about fake news on social media. Awareness on proliferation of fake news on social media needs to be created and people to wait for authoritative validation of news from more credible source. Young people need to be informed of the possibility of coming across fake news.

Media literacy- Digital literacy and enhancing  skills that could help them spot fake news can help combat fake news. Information literacy skills will ensure that readers of fake news will not readily accept the news as given but they will interrogate the content.

Reduce the incentives for creating fake news-fake news are not created for political influence but for profits. Restricting advertisements on fake news will kill the motive behing creating such news. Makers of fake news sites take advantage of non attentive consumers of fake information and create content that will enable them make huge amount of money from Google and facebook. 

In conclusion, fake news are not motivated by the infuence they insert on human emotions rather by money. Fake news spread very fast and media literacy is key in ensuring social media users are able to detect fake news on the onset and stop further spread. 

How blogging can help protect the rights of Kenyans

Human rights are the fundamental rights that all human beings enjoy independence of their race ethnicity, sex, religion, color, residence or any other social status.  They can neither be earned nor taken away but they can be violated by individuals, nations or governments. 

It feels awful when you are in a Matatu and a police officer is bribed with Kshs. 50 to overlook traffic offences at the expense of your safety. One feels like you have been violated. Such violation happens everyday but many are not aware of their rights in such instances.

Why blogging is key in protecting human rights

Blogging provides a platform to publish ones feeling, thoughts and ideas with other like minded people. Blogs are the easiest way to publish content by anyone from anywhere at anytime and has a wider reach. Bloggers create 90% of the local content. Images and videos in blogs increases authenticity to the information posted. 94 % of the people share blog posts ensuring wide spread of information.

Over 43 million Kenyans uses internet and a significant number access information published on blogs. Blogging community is increasing at an alarming rates hence a great catalyst for social change.

Writing for human rights
Blogging can create awareness, expose violations and attracts attention to areas in need of interventions forcing those in power to act. Therefore, blogging uphold human rights in the following ways: 

Blogging and right to freedom of expression. Blogging provides a good opportunity for people to publish their opinions and exercise fully their freedom of expression. Although the various acts and laws stipulate ways of protecting human rights, bloggers have an affirmative duty and stronger voice to protect and promote human rights in exercising their freedom of expression. Bloggers help in closing the information gap that had been widening before the advent of internet. Misusing freedom of expression amounts to hate speech.

Reporting hate speech

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More often than not, politicians have made reckless statement amounting to hate speech and incitement to violence. Such acts have been brought to book and necessary action taken. Violence leads to damaging peoples property and killing people violating right to property and life. Thanks to bloggers and the revolutionary social media platforms. If it were not for the strong voice of bloggers such damaging sentiments would go unnoticed and unpunished.

Tasking governments to take action in the event of violation of human rights. Blogging can bring change by putting governments on notice against human rights violation. Although blogs can't change laws, they generate awareness, a critical step in protecting the rights of individual. A blog with a huge traffic can be an efficient and very effective platform for people to freely express opinions and keep human rights issues at the forefront of the national dialogue. This has always helped in demanding action from responsible authorities. Creating awareness to situations that need to be condemned will make Government and the public to become more informed, educated and involved.

Women are oftenly harassed and making them more aware of their rights at early age is a milestone in protecting them.

image source: https://www.dw.com

Curbing harassment against women, several cases of domestic violence have been brought to the limelight by bloggers and the violators punished. Some companies alleged to protects their staff accused of being involved in sexual harassment have faced the wrath from the public after being exposed by bloggers. A case in point where ushahidi reportedly condoned gender discrimination and violence in Kenya by protecting its ill-behaved employees. The most viral #mydressmychoice led to the arrest of the rogue conductors who harassed a lady for wearing a miniskirt. 

Protecting public property. Public lands are very vulnerable to grabbing and government agencies  remains mum on the issue.  A blogger dubbed shule yangu alliance prevented the grabbing of the langata primary school land . Bloggers have a duty in protecting the properties of the voiceless. This is so vital because it increases public awareness and provokes action that will ensure better protection of the human rights.

Mobilizing people to advocate for their rights. There is  a thin line between blogging and activism and recently both have been used to protect the  rights of Kenyans. Peaceful demonstrations to curb a certain vice are organized by bloggers and activists. For example demos putting Kenyan police on notice for using excessive force and for extra judicial killings as reported by human rights watch blog were organised by bloggers.

Blogging play a vital role in protecting against environmental disaster. Enjoyment of human rights and sustainable environment are closely linked. Blogging can help launch a campaign against pollution, environmental damage and alert people of the looming disaster. An environment free from violence, pollution and natural disaster enhances enjoyment of basic human rights. Many times bloggers have reported on droughts, heavy rains, earth quakes etc.  Blog posts will provide early warning signs for a looming disaster, rapid response which results from such information reduces the harmful effect of a disaster. 

Various images and videos from blogs will bring out the right picture on the extent of damage and will help the government and stakeholders to gauge the amount of  intervention needed.

image from the star.co.ke 

The environmental blogs such as Wangechi Kiongo-sync with nature are platforms offering great ways to create awareness on sustainable environment.

Blogs provides an avenue for education.

Bloggers share knowledge in their areas of expertise. Blogs have proliferated with 'How-to' do this and that making readers more educated and informed. 

Reducing corruption and increasing transparency. Bloggers exposes corruption and can influence electing leaders with integrity.  Human rights violation mostly occurs where there is corruption. Blogger Abraham Mutai exposed rampant corruption in Isiolo county. Though he was arrested the public attention was attracted towards the vice and public resources were protected. 

Protecting human rights in the supply chain- Bloggers will create awareness on the consumption of harmful products.  Blogging greatly support marketing of helpful products which makes life more enjoyable. Reporting employees exploitation at the workplace can enhance protection of their rights. 

Conclusively, Kenyan blogging community can greatly contribute to upholding human rights. BLOGGERS  have a moral duty in making the public aware of their rights, reporting on violation and pushing for action hence enhancing enjoyment of the fundamental human rights. The role of bloggers in protecting human rights is very risky where many have been arrested, received death threats and others ultimately lost lives. 

Ndengu, our semi-arid Green gold

Good news from our semi-arid areas.

Ndengu or Pojo as popularly known happens to be a favourite cereals to most. not known to many, green grams can be a cash crop for our Kitui friends. The production of Ndengu surpassed farmers and everyone expectation after farmers decided to adopt new farming techniques, thanks to a project dubbed Ndengu Revolution.

A  seed subsidy was given to Kitui residents under Ndengu revolution project, farmers were also promised ready market for their harvest in Asia. This aimed at taking care of the middlemen who have always exploited farmers due to lack of information on the available market, price panicks and fear of post harvest losses. 

Farmers were particularly amazed by the bumper harvest of Ndengu. Most semi arid areas are believed to be very unproductive with little agricultural output. But  with the current situation in terms of little agriculture land availability especially in high potential areas, seems like agriculture is moving towards the semi arid areas. 

Kenyas ndengu is the best in the world and it does well in the semi arid areas. Green grams can revamp the food security of the often hunger stricken areas. Better still, its sets to boost the poor farmers income. 

Farmers have been selling their produce at the low price given to them by middlemen in the fear that they might miss out the alleged small market opportunity.

Market opportunities include local market yet to be satisfied and Asian markets have huge demand for this crop.

Suggested solutions to curb exploitation from middlemen

There is an appeal to the Government to include Green grams in the food reserves. It will be a good move to include the ndengu in our strategic food reserve basket as this will save farmers the agony of relying on uncertain export market. This will also boost income of many farmers from semi arid areas. 

Help farmers deal with the post-harvest losses. Green grams are highly prone to wevils and farmers don't have proper storage for their harvest. Due to this problem they hurriedly sell their produce to middlemen  avoiding post harvest losses.

Impose an import ban on the crop. It has bees revealed that Kenya is a net importer of green grams. The domestic demand is yet to be satisfied with the current levels of production. Once such minimal policy reforms are made, the agony of farmers due to lack of market will be taken care of and there will be no need to look for foreign market.

Ensure competitiveness in the production of the protein rich crop. High cost of production in Kenya encourages illegal  imports since trader finds an opportunity to buy  at cheaper prices from the neighbors and sell at higher price. It is therefore important to ensure the food crop compete fairly in the market and wont cost higher than that of neighbors.

How Sugar "Daddies" are Reaping Big from our Sugar Industry

The Kenyan sugar industry has been faced with many challenges since independence.  It has always been a political crop in the Western Region.  Farmers have always been at the receiving end of the woes facing the sub sector. Embezzlement of taxpayers’ money injected to revive the collapsing sugar factories, non-payment of sugar farmers, bad weather, and obsolete technologies are among other challenges facing the industry.

Each regime has always used the crop to woo voters especially during the electioneering period.  At the same time the so called sugar daddies have made the crop their cash cow at the expense of the sugar cane farmers.

What can happen if we open our sugar market

Opening the sugar market could be the long term solution to our sugar sector. However, importing sugar means importing labour consequently increasing the level of unemployment.  Sugar industry employs over 200000 farmers and more than 6 million people derive livelihoods from the sweetener.

The consecutive governments have continuously supported sugar industry. One Kg of sugar can be imported at Kshs. 40 from Brazil, it is far much cheaper to import sugar than produce locally.  But how do we make Kenyan sugar industry competitive? How do we kill cartels killing the industry? Is there a political will to have a long term solution to our sweetener farmers?

2017 sugar Gold rush

In 2017 the treasury allowed importation of duty free sugar from non-Comesa countries between may and August. The sugar daddies have maximized their profits by importing sugar from Brazil at approximately Kshs 45 per Kilo. They made abnormal profits since even with such low import price sugar has traded between Kshs 100 and 120.

True to their expectation, they have reaped big from the importation of duty free sugar however the alleged fights among the sugar daddies has exposed many evils. It has been revealed that sugar was imported in a rush leading to dumping of contraband sugar creating an influx in the market. 

The sugar imported to the country during that period is enough to sustain the country for the next fifteen months without growing  a single cane.  Worse still the sugar imported during the window period between May and August has higher levels of copper than the recommended posing health threat to consumers. The question is why the government left the importation of duty free sugar without imposing a quota to the unscrupulous traders.

How should stakeholders take care of sugar "daddies”

Farmers need to consider other crops which might make more economic sense other than wallowing themselves in sugarcane only.

The challenges facing the sector include obsolete technology, lack of consistent supply of raw materials throughout the year, high cost of production and lack of political will to create a long term solution to the sector. Political will especially from the sugar belt politicians to revive the sugar industry is needed now than before.

While it costs Kshs. 40 to produce a kg of sugar in Mauritius, it costs double to produce the same in Kenya.  Obsolete technology is the cause of high cost of production.

Adopting new technologies and irrigating the sugarcane farms can create long term solution to the industry.  Privatization of the state owned sugar factories has also been suggested as a solution.

A lasting solution need to be devised to make the sugar competitive before the Kenyan farmers are edged out of the market once the COMESA Safeguards comes to an end.

Who Ate The Maize?

Let's find out

Maize, the staple crop, contributes heavily to food security in Kenya.  Maize farming risks being lost forever.  Despite heavy budget on subsidizing the crop, the crop faces numerous challenges ranging from high cost of production making the crop uncompetitive, bad weather, degraded soils and corruption on the marketing of the output.

The recent scandal in the maize sector got me thinking why the government would continue heavily supporting the crop yet the subsector is marred with a lot of inefficiencies and corruption. The heavy budget that goes to maize subsidy pegs the question of sustainability of the subsisdy program. Will socialism theory in the agriculture sector deliver the good results? should we allow capitalism- free market economic system?

Eastern Uganda lands are endowed with very fertile soils where they use open pollinated seeds variety without fertilizers while back here in Kenya hybrid seeds and fertilizers must be used due to degraded soils.  With the porous borders and the sweet deal given to maize farmers by NCPB, brokers will always import maize from Uganda then sell it to NCBP.

Compared to the maize that enters Kenya through porous borders from Uganda, maize farming in Kenya is becoming a pain to the farmers.  To produce a bag of maize in Kenya costs KShs 2500 and middlemen can buy maize from Uganda for as low as KShs. 1800.

 The middlemen ate our maize and until that time we put the middlemen in their rightful place, our food security is at jeopardy. But how do we do it?

Reducing the cost of production will help both the consumers and farmers to enjoy their share of the cake.  Farmers should be trained on how to use right amount and type of fertilizer that suits their soil types so as to reduce the amount of fertilizer use.  The budget allocation to fertilizer subsidy should be used to employ other long term strategy like irrigation.  Politics revolving the crop need to be rejected like plague to enhance food security in the country.