PS Boga denies reports of Ksh.3K for maize farmers, demands apology

Maize farmers will be paid Ksh.2,300 and not any other amount as reported by sections of the media, the Government has said.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga rubbished claims that the government offered Ksh.3,000 per 90kg bag.

“My attention has been drawn to a story (by Otiato Guguyu) in today’s (December 18) The Standard Newspaper which quotes me as ‘settling’ the debate between Government, farmers and politicians. The author of the article did not write it with the best intention for Kenyan farmers,” the statement reads.

The PS further termed the article as ‘ grossly malicious’ saying it was ‘riddled with misstatements and misrepresentations’.

He said the Cabinet had already agreed on the Ksh.2,300 price and as a Permanent Secretary he has no powers to change such a decision.

The PS went on to reiterate that his core responsibility is to implement government decisions and not ‘settle debates on maize pricing’.

PS Boga urged farmers to disregard the Tuesday article and demanded that the management of the Standard newspaper issue an apology.

There has been a raging debate in the past few months over what price the government should adopt for a 90-kg bag of maize.

This led the Cabinet on November 22 to intervene and set the price for maize farmers at Ksh.2,300 per bag.

The move was rejected by a Senate team and a section of leaders from the North Rift who said they were representing the interest of maize farmers.