Uhuru directs Munya to clear Tanzanian maize at the border

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Agriculture to clear Tanzanian maize that has been blocked at the borders as government reverses the initial ban on imports following a bilateral meeting between the two countries.

Mr Kenyatta ordered Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya to ensure stocks of maize that have been lying at the border are cleared within two weeks.

He said the normal trade relations on grain should resume to ensure that the business people do not suffer losses occasioned by restrictions that had been put in place.

“On the maize that is stuck at the border I have given you (CS Agriculture) two weeks to ensure that the stock is cleared within two weeks,” said President Kenyatta.

Mr Kenyatta made the announcement yesterday during a joint session of Kenya and Tanzanian business community in Nairobi, which was attended by the visiting Tanzanian President Suluhu Hassan.

Kenya had in March banned maize from Uganda and Tanzania, raising concerns over high levels of aflatoxin in the grain coming in from these countries.

The government lifted the ban but put in place stringent measures that traders bringing in the produce had to meet before they are cleared.

However, Mr Munya said last month that none of the traders had met the import rules, hence getting blocked at the borders.

The stringent measures saw the stocks of maize coming in from these regional countries decline by 73 percent in March this year when compared with a month earlier.

A food security balance sheet report indicated that the imports from the neighbouring countries dropped from 637,489 in February to 146,707 of 90-kilo bags in March.

The huge decline was attributed to government’s move to increase surveillance at the border points following reported high cases of aflatoxin in maize coming in from two countries.

Traders importing maize from Uganda to Kenya are supposed to have certificate of origin from the counties of produce before they get clearance at the border points.

The government also required traders to have certificate of conformity indicating that the aflatoxin levels complies with the maximum required levels of 10 parts per billion, which are the standards that Kenya adheres to.